


LifeLine

by DanDeeLion



Series: Sword and Shield Series [2]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Video Game World, Angst, Blood and Torture, Bondage and Discipline, Bottom Eren Yeager, Drug Abuse, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Fluff, Eventual Romance, F/M, Loss of Trust, M/M, Manipulation, Memory Alteration, Memory Loss, Minor Hange Zoë/Levi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Physical Abuse, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Survival, Top Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-26
Updated: 2020-10-17
Packaged: 2020-10-28 15:15:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 23
Words: 140,979
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20780693
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DanDeeLion/pseuds/DanDeeLion
Summary: There were no save points once the simulation began. And the characters could only move from the start of the program and up until the timer runs out.For Levi, it had only been another game on beta testing. Project LifeLine. A game that tested the revolutionary immersion gear that would soon change the military simulation training program, Levi and a few other testers were the first to try it out. As the project remains on the prototype, Levi felt an odd sense of deja vu the simulations of fictional survival with his character.When one mission, led Levi to unlock a new character, a soldier named Eren, everything Levi knew about the game and the program drastically changes..





	1. Arc 1: The First Mission

**Author's Note:**

> This is story is actually very experimental. I had this in my drafts for a time, and do forgive me for the grammatic errors here and there. This story however is set in a modern time minus the titans of the world of AoT. Feel free to comment on what you think ^_^
> 
> That said, this is my first fanfiction on Attack on Titan, I truly do enjoy reading fics of this anime here on Ao3, so I'm giving it a shot myself. 
> 
> So yeah, Game, Set, Enjoy!

“This is all wrong.” Every single fiber and instinct left Levi conflicted the minute he entered Hanji’s laboratory. It’s been nearing a month since his commanding officer assigned him to Dr. Hanji Zoe to oversee his part on a new training program that might tip the scales of the long-term civil war on Paradis Island. Levi went into rehabilitation for three months and got removed from his previous position of fighting at the frontlines a few more months afterward until his internal and external injuries have fully healed. However, things had never been the same for him after the toxic gas bombing incident at the bay area of Paradis. 

Hanji and her team did everything within their powers to bring Levi back from the brink of insanity and death. However, the crazy doctor by day and pesky inventor by night never let him forget the fact that she saved him. Hanji cackled like a witch while guiding Levi toward the inconspicuous bed that had a strange helmet contraption hanging above with multitudes of wires that stuck out random places. Hanji always invented odd trinkets whenever she had time to spare, even as she is one of the few military doctors within the research facility. A day after his report to the commanding officer, he received an all-clear from the last recon mission in the mid-eastern fort. He returned to where it all began. Levi found himself glued to the hip and constantly observed by shitty glasses Hanji, who had watched over him with a manic look on her face.

“Leeeevi, you promised to help test my baby out.” Hanji patted the helmet that had probes stuck within the inner lining. “Now lie down here so we could start this bad boy.”

“What the fuck is that thing?” An undertone of wariness came from Levi’s question, that hadn’t been missed with Hanji.

He let Hanji sit him down at the edge of the hospital bed but he still sat at the far corner of the bed, and a good distance from the hanging device as possible. “That, my friend, is a VR Helmet, come on Levi, I know you’re not that old. Don’t you keep up with the trends these days? Kids play VR games all the time.” The scientist hurried over to her work table and brought up a laptop with diagrams of the helmet’s blueprint. 

Throughout the month that he’d worked with Hanji, not once had the woman showed whatever awaited on the closed off side of her laboratory. The most Hanji had him do...was play simulation games on her computer. For a month, Hanji had him sit behind a desk and played war games after war games that increased both in a time-pressured mission and even changing scenarios. At first, Levi thought the scientist joked that his main job is to help in a project that would limit the exposure of soldiers to the frontlines, but tapping away with a mouse and keyboard to control an avatar had been far from his expectations. Of course he’d heard of VR games, in fact, many of the younger cadets from the military would talk about playing it with the goggles strapped to their heads and swinging the controller at some invisible enemy. To an outsider, people who played VR looked ridiculous, and amongst those that found it so is Levi.

Hanji opened tabs and photos on her screen with a glint in her eyes that fueled her excitement as she showed him further. “Now that you are well acquainted with the workings of time pressure games, we will take it up a notch. For a month, I had been studying you critically Levi Ackerman, adjusting the data I needed to improve the simulation for the environment I have developed.” Levi zoned out the second Hanji began to talk in rapid-fire precision that could put even a rapper to shame.

On the laptop, her fingers danced along with the keyboard that feeds data toward whatever program she had running. “If it’s a simulation again, what’s the point of it and how will it help our soldiers through battle?” 

“I am getting to that! There are just so many variables still left in the air, and all I need is to fully test run this program now that the algorithm is set for you.” She took out a cable connector from her back pocket and plugged the laptop to the VR machine she assembled. “As for your question, it’s better to see and believe. The only instructions I am about to give you is to relax.” 

The sudden prick of a needle on Levi’s shoulder made him jerk if it weren’t for the hand that held him in place. “What the heck, Hanji!” Levi tried to muster enough energy to stand, but, her assistant, Colt held up the emptied barrel of whatever he injected. Hanji turned her attention back to Levi that it made the man leaned back. The effects of the injection worked its way faster through the bloodstream as the world began to tilt and shift. “Grice, good timing, strap him up so we could begin this and I’ll explain further once we are in.” 

Fear gripped Levi like a hot iron poker, but his limbs started to feel heavy. He let Colt move him farther up the bed and then rushed to secure his arms and legs into the cloth straps along the edges of the bed frame. By the time Levi remained secured and immobile to the bed, Colt placed one hand under Levi's head while using the other to lower the helmet over him. Not safe, his entire being wanted to scream when the telltale sound of Hanji’s babbling came close, she appeared by Levi’s side just as his vision dimmed.

He wanted to say a whole lot of swearing for them to sedate him into cooperation into being a lab. Levi’s eyes must’ve looked murderous because Hanji managed to place her hands together in silent apology but continued to give him a crooked smile. “Don’t give me that look Mr. Grumpy, don’t fight this, just-”

The words were cut off as Levi’s vision darkened. The fear he kept at bay began to surface again by the sudden feeling of being trapped. He couldn’t move at all, and his senses shut down on him. Whatever the serum or the helmet did had robbed Levi of everything and left him in the dark. “Can you hear me?” Hanji’s voice broke through the void and deafening silence. Before he could respond, A bright dot of light began to pulse along with a single point in the distance. “Levi?” 

“Yeah, yeah I can hear you.” Levi finally answered back. His voice echoed within the endless darkness but his attention remained at the minuscule dot of light that blinked in and out of existence. 

“Oh good! That means the hearing receptors work fan-oh-tas-tic!” Hanji squealed that Levi couldn’t escape the thrill of her voice that exploded all around him.

“Hanji, for the love of god, if you ever do that again, once I get out of this. I will murder you and toss you off a damn ditch.” The warning went from one ear to another for the madwoman. Levi tried to get a bearing on things, but he couldn’t even do anything in the dark. “What exactly am I dealing with here shit for brains? Where am I?”

“Presently, you are still in the lab.” Thank you captain obvious. Levi thought and groaned. “Just give me a minute and adjust the other sensory receptors. You should have visual, right about…now.”

A blinding light pierced through the darkness and enveloped Levi. The sensory overload brought him to his hands and knees. The throbbing to his head became unbearable as if a sledgehammer pounded consistently. He wanted to crawl or curl in on himself, anything just to stop the overstimulation but just as quickly as the sudden shock to his system came did it ended. Levi felt strange wetness of dew on his fingertips. Slowly, he tried to open his eyes but the light still too painful for his sensitive pupils. Hanji’s voice remained muffled or rather shoved at the back burner of his mind while he tentatively tried to sit up, his arms shake with the effort of holding up his weight as he pulled himself up from the ground. Even in his disoriented state, Levi knew things changed. First, he isn’t strapped to the hospital bed, second, the helmet that fits snugly over his head. A tinted screen covered his face like a space helmet. Levi’s hands were about to reach up and take the helmet off when a square video feed popped along the left side of his field of vision and Hanji’s face appeared.

“Stooooooop!” She yelled before the madwoman peered closer to the screen and gave an ear-splitting grin. “Good, the feed shows me that you are finally in the simulation. Thank god, now, even though you physically can’t remove that helmet, the game would end the second you do in the virtual world. It’ll be acknowledged by the system as a forced quit. Do. You. Understand?”

The way Hanji spoke as if she reprimanded a naughty child annoyed him. “Loud and clear doc.” He muttered, still not used to addressing Hanji as if she stood by him. Hanji gave a nod before clearing her throat. 

“Good, now what do you see?” 

Hanji’s question made him go back to his earlier curiosity. Beyond the blue-tinted screen, Levi's been transported in the most realistic simulation ever. His ears picked up the soft sound of leaves rustling under the gust of wind, the smell of wildflowers, and the feel of prickly grass under his palms felt so real that Levi hardly believed he remained strapped securely onto a bed. It tricked his mind and body that he was far away from the city. “Where am I? This nature stuff looks too real.” He muttered before he scooted back until he felt the sturdiness of a tree trunk behind him. The tree’s shade must’ve been the main reason he hadn’t felt the direct burn of the midday sun. As he took in his surroundings, his fingers bumped into something cold and metallic against his hip. The familiar gleam of the gun and daggers that hung along a thick band around his waist reeled him back to a time he fought on the frontlines. Memories that were hazy due to the trauma Levi went through since the battle.

“Shorty, welcome to the lovely outskirts of Shiganshina District at least thirty kilometers away from the outer borders of the country, Eldia.” Hanji describes. Levi stood and noticed the tall forty foot high walls that protected the nation from foot soldiers and tanks. The banners of the different sectors of government under the royal family of Eldia. Realization dawned on Levi as he studied the terrain with focused eyes and exhaled. 

“The simulation is about the future battles of Paradis isn’t it?”  
“Bingo!” Hanji exclaimed and a map appeared below the video feed where Hanji’s face remained clear on display. “Welcome to Project Life Line, this is a full immersion game simulation that has been a program with two stages. The first is where we are now. Inside the demo field. You get the time to get settled in and get used to an actual very close detailed terrain of Paradis Island, from all the districts and locations that our units have explored so far.”

It meant that anything beyond the walls remained uncharted territories. However, through the safety and security of Hanji’s program, soldiers could actually train from the full immersion of the simulation that she created. “How the heck did you create the technology to replicate this?” Levi asked her seriously, and the pride in the inventor’s face shone like a fiery sun.

“If you truly must know, the answer lies with my drone systems. Of course, those scouts would be keen to take down any of our recon cameras. Which is why anything beyond those walls is still blurry, I’ve finally managed to create something that could suffice on not only storming into uncharted territories but also minimize the number of actual people we send to the battlefield. Your avatar is a moving titanium-plated humanoid battle robot!” Hanji proceeded to show Levi on his widescreen a reflection of a faceless robot with a pitch-black screen face. Levi glanced down, and the silver body of the robot moved in sync with his limbs. The simulation fizzled in and out of focus before Hanji brought it back to the serene terrain of Shiganshina. “Now, in the demo stage, that means the robot is presently confined in one of our testing quarters for volatile weaponry. The commander hasn’t approved yet of mass producing our little robots until they are approved by you. After that, it will move and function similar to even a veteran soldier on the field. Go ahead, test that body now.”

Levi didn’t know how it worked that his body presently is still strapped and asleep within Hanji’s lab. All while his mind remained actively immersed in a virtual world. Hanji continued to feed Levi with scientific facts about the components of the robot Levi commanded. The lance corporal took a few steps through the wild grass to get a better feel of the simulation. Aside from the hyper-realism of the virtual reality, Levi noticed something odd with every step he took. “Hanji...why do I feel lighter?” He sprinted, and the same sensation of the burning of his muscles well-replicated, he felt weightless and had an extra spring in his step.

“Ah yes, about that. While the robot’s main functions are to follow the desired movements given by your thoughts. The robot is built to be a super-soldier. There is titanium plating, and the inside has microsensors that function just like a human’s nervous system. To top it all off, the bone structure of the robot is made of carbon fiber, similar to that you see on bike frames, sturdy and made for speed. Double-lens cameras add for the eyes, and the microphone within the main head acts as the ears. Overall, the LifeLine robot is super lightweight.”

True to the words, Levi found it a quick adjustment for the added speed and higher jumps he'd achieved. “So for short...this thing is a lot more lethal because of its agility.” He summarized the jargon that Hanji word vomited on him.

Hanji sat back and her eyes focus toward a different monitor to observe Levi. A slight nod being the only indication that he hit the right mark. “Correct, and from here, our real program begins.” Hanji’s assistant, Colt, sat beside her with a mug in each hand. It probably had an extremely strong coffee that can kill a horse but just right for Hanji. “We’ll give you an hour to adjust to that body. The real mission starts tomorrow night, and also, Levi, try to familiarize yourself again with the weapons at your disposal."

Hanji cut the video feed and left the full screen to Levi’s demise. “Hanji really outdid herself with this,” Levi finally admitted even though a part of him was sure that the inventor kept tabs on his progress. Even with Hanji's assurance that the night was given for him to adjust to the world she created. He couldn’t help but be in awe with the grand scale of the walls. In the real world, soldiers were far from reaching the walls of the Eldia. The gruesome battle on the shores of Paradis made sure of that. An island shrouded in mystery but, so many resources, through history, Eldia and Marley barely got along in terms of the usage of resources. With the impending war, the Eldians built high walls to prevent scrutiny over the lands all while defending it from foreign soldiers. However, when modern technology such as military aircraft. The battle prolonged until a point where Eldians found a way to destroy aerial attacks from the ground. Levi had never seen Eldia’s walls up close and during a time of peace. Briefly, he wondered if the simulation had been created with the idea of what it would be before the war has scarred the tranquil lands. 

In most war games or even survival mode games Levi tested in the past month, he learned that anything could be identified and even used as a weapon. After a quick pat-down on his attire, gear with only a light padded bulletproof vest over a camouflage long sleeve shirt. The same camo pattern continued up to his thermal pants. Heavyset black boots laced up to the mid-calf with the pants tucked within. Levi could faintly feel the cold edge of a hidden knife within the boots, the familiar feeling gave him a sense of ease even in the virtual world. 

What alienated him however were the long, sword-like blades that hung to his sides. A strange gear hung around his hips with leather strips that wound its way from his chest, torso, and even along the length of his legs. Two identical barrel handgrip stuck out from one pair of blades of the box that carried the blades. Levi pulled on the handgrips and allowed the sword to slide out. The thin yet flexible blades reminded him of human-sized cutter blades. The serrations along the length of the thin metal gave him the benefit of the doubt of the weapon’s durability. A message box popped up at eye level and revealed that the thing strapped to him was called the Vertical Maneuver Gear.  
“Hey, glasses, what’s with these?” He spoke out loud, and sure enough, the buzz along his right ear indicated Hanji had been watching him.

“It’s one of the weapons recovered during the battle along the docks of Paradis, the Vertical Maneuver Gear enabled the Eldians to move along high ground and even scale the walls. Within the game, you would obtain an actual avatar of an Eldian and lead a team to claim the districts. For now, I want you to familiarize yourself with the gear and how to fight with it. Don’t worry, you can also get your standardize guns and knives if...you don’t want to play the avatar of an Eldian.”

Levi briefly noticed the flatter in Hanji’s voice, given that she had operated on him months ago, the woman must’ve known on the great hatred he felt against the Eldians. The war with them took away Levi’s home, separated him from his mother, and nearly killed him. Levi's one of the lucky ones who made it out with only having to amputate his right arm because of the toxin bomb attacks. Hanji and Colt did design a good replacement arm, but the cold metal took a while for him to fully function properly. Did he want to use the weapons of those monsters?

“Levi?” The uncertainty in Hanji’s voice snapped him out of his brooding. 

“I can’t use this,” he answered, the thin blades only reminded him more of what he lost, and while it would have quelled the ugly monster within him that seeks revenge. Levi, for just some odd reason, couldn't do it. “Give me just the standard gun and long-range rifle.” 

“You do realize that the game isn’t supposed to be about what you would like or not Ackerman.” 

“I don’t care,” Levi growled. “I’ll use the mobility gear-whatnot, but not the swords. Given how light I am, the extra speed is needed. Just give me a week to get used to these things.” 

The cackling laugh boomed at Levi’s side before Hanji finally calmed down. “Oh, I bet it’ll take you less than that to be up and flying.”

Surprisingly enough, a smile lifted the corners of his lips before Levi faced toward the walls. “Shut up shitty glasses.”

\-------------------------------------

Within the dim-lit laboratory, Hanji watched over the sleeping body of her friend, while her assistant observed in full attention to the monitors that showed the live feed from Levi’s vision through the neuroreceptors of the LifeLine gear. “Fascinating, his reaction time and core body strength are just out of this world.” On the other computer held the data of Levi’s heartbeat and movement. Every now and then, Levi’s real body would twitch simultaneously to the action he did within the game. It had been a wise decision to strap him down because of that involuntary reaction movement.  
“He’s not the strongest soldier for nothing Colt,” Hanji said before settling beside him. The green digits from the clock at the lower part of the computer indicated that her friend spent five hours into the simulation and made remarkable progress adapting to the virtual world. “At his current pace, he could proceed to phase two in under a week.” 

The deep frown on Colt’s features mimics her own internal worries. Through the months that Hanji closely monitored and watched out for Levi, she told most of the truth to Colt about her fears for the program and its side effects. “There are still too many risks Professor Zoe, I don’t think phase two will commence too soon.”

“They have them already,” Hanji interjected, the information made her hands clenched at the very thought and even Colt became speechless at the news. 

After the antagonizing silence hung heavy in the air for a few minutes, Hanji sat back and all the exhaustion and restless nights she dedicated just to get the project up and running finally caught up with her. “No time for worries Colt, we only have to move forward from here.” She couldn’t allow herself the time to fully think about the steps needed to help keep the people she cared for alive. The tapping of her fingers made quick work of forwarding the necessary emails of approval to the head of the science and research department. Though Hanji hated the paperwork involved through the needed subject transfer, she had to work fast before Djel would get to them first. 

“Is there anything I can help you with?” Colt stammered while Hanji submerged herself into filling up forms and writing a detailed report on the first day of the experiment. 

“Yes,” Hanji reached for her coffee mug and chugged down the last of her already chilled coffee. Without even sparing a glance at Colt, she handed her empty cup to him. “Get me another five-shot espresso in there. Afterward, be ready to encode the details of our simulation avatars, start with codes in my folder labeled Recon Unit Codes.” 

“Got it,” The younger man quickly stood with her cup and exited the room. It’ll be the last report Hanji would hand over for the night. She needed more time to work with Levi and convinced him, she had to convince him to fight.


	2. Part Two: The First Mission

It took Levi four days to fully familiarize himself with the maneuver gear. Unlike the first time Hanji threw him into the LifeLine simulation, he finally adjusted to the side effects of the game to his body. After the short four hours within the simulation, Hanji explained how his body would react toward the mental stimulation caused by his movement. Every injury within the game sends the same sensation through Levi’s nerves. While he remains perfectly safe and not bleeding out to death if he gets a cut, the feeling would still register to him because of the nerve receptors on the VR helmet. 

“Why did you include that to the damn program four-eyes?” Levi demanded, his sore muscles protesting after his not-so-graceful ten feet fall from the rooftops of Shiganshina when he miscalculated the distance and propulsion of the hooks to keep him airborne. The way that the air had been knocked out of Levi’s lungs and the sharp pain afterward made Hanji stop the program altogether and unstrapped Levi from the bed. Lingering pain baffled him enough that he asked Colt if a bruise formed on his back.

Hanji pulled up a stool and quickly went to work on removing the probes that resiliently clung to Levi’s head. “The LifeLine gear needs to be as close to reality as possible Levi, otherwise, we’d have soldiers marching their robots into battle and critically damage the machines on enemy territory. Besides, the whole point of the program is to train them to be more vigilant with the pressures of war without relaxing at the safety with fighting from a distance.” The reasoning still seemed odd for Levi. The realism of his actions through the program had been enough to trick his brain, to the point that he felt exhausted after each session even, for the most part, he remained sound asleep.

Eventually, he, and Hanji worked out a new schedule for each session. While Hanji still preferred for Levi to come by her laboratory during the evening, she made arrangements to clear up a vacant room along the same floor for him to have a place to sleep after each immersion. In return, Levi shifted to sleeping most through the early morning and did his reports and paperwork to the commanding officer by noon. Often he wondered if the crazy inventor even slept at all. Colt assured that Hanji does go home during the morning because of the shift in their sleeping schedules. 

On the fifth night of their immersion testing, Levi entered the room while Colt and Hanji were caught up in a heated argument. The two scientists argued by the same bed where Levi sleeps on through the entire program, Hanji pacing back and forth from one side of the room to the other, with Colt just a few steps behind. A large stack of papers wedged in the crook of Colt’s arm. 

“We have to minimize the data we push out to the board! The rest of the program is not yet ready! Levi is not yet ready.” Hanji said, as her pace quickened and nearly bumped into her assistant in the process.

“Djel’s team already acquired the go signal to partner with our program, Professor. It’s him and Zeke that have been forwarding the data to the commanding officer about the development of LifeLine.” Colt stood right in front of Hanji and showed the stack of paperwork in his hands. “We got less than three weeks before- Captain Levi!” 

Both scientists finally acknowledged Levi hanging back on their computers. “Care to add me to the mix now?” Levi crossed the distance and raised one eyebrow inquiringly toward Hanji. “Is there something more to the program than you guys led on?” 

Hanji let out a frustrated sigh and held out one hand toward Colt as the assistant surrendered the stack of papers to her. “Just simple scientist rivalry.” Hanji walked over to her workstation and nodded for Levi to join her. “Want something to drink before we send you in there?”

Levi shook his head and settled on the spare chair near Hanji’s computer. From experience, he knew that Hanji would eventually talk about whatever bothered her. The woman had no holds bar when it came to venting. Though often Levi just tuned it out by increasing the volume of the sounds from the games he’d been assigned to play. At that moment, he felt guilty for not paying attention to her even after spending most of the time in each other’s presence. Colt walked to the other room to gather the necessary equipment for the simulation, but Levi had a hunch, the younger man left them for Hanji to start talking. “The head of the research facility wants us to proceed to stage two, meaning, adding actual scenarios into the simulations and let the real program commences.”

“And that’s a problem because?” Levi prod, which seemed to trigger Hanji just right for her to start ranting.

“I don’t like working with Djel! He’s always too intense, I would have no control over the variables he adds into the simulations, he is also non-caring for his subordinates. However, Djel has the manpower and influence we need to continue funding this project.” Levi crossed his arms over his chest, while he let Hanji continue to talk. “Djel’s project on long-range signal controllers is what made Project LifeLine possible to operate even from the distance, otherwise, we’d be deploying you over on the docks of Paradis during phase two.”

Levi visibly stiffened at the thought of being sent back to the thick of battle, the place where he lost his entire right hand and half his arm. The smog deteriorated his skin and bones by the time he arrived at Titan Research Facility. He didn’t miss the way, Hanji’s eyes went to the metal hand and fingers that rested lightly on top of her table, the replacement limb connected back to the stump of his arm. The pity in her eyes that made Levi avert his gaze and pulled his hand back, shoved it in the pocket of his jacket. “I don’t mind being deployed back,” Levi admitted, he knew that as long as Eldia still refused to surrender, the war wouldn’t end. “I can still fight, but I doubt, I’d be on the vanguard again like before.” 

The vanguard position belonged to the elite warriors, the ones that attacked first and lead the siege at the frontlines. Since the gruesome battle on Paradis docks, Levi gave up his position as Lance Corporal to Zeke Yeager, the man that quickly took the ranks and taken over the town just east of Shiganshina. Their forces were pulled back because of the massive smog counter-attack of Eldia, the entire outer wall, Rose enveloped with thick yellowish smog that burned flesh and even internal organs when inhaled. Levi knew first hand how bad the biochemical weapon was. Since then, soldiers resigned to aerial artillery attacks yet none of their planes ever made contact upon reaching beyond Rose. A ceasefire issued by the commanding officer and the governor halted all attacks on Eldia until a new plan developed. Which is where Titan Research Facility comes in.

“You can fight Levi, but not like before,” Hanji said condescendingly, before frowning again. “We just can’t risk our men going up to battle and losing a limb again by whatever toxin creation they have. Unless we could create a serum or lotion to counter the effects of the smog, getting to the walls would be impossible. But if this project goes in full swing, we might have a chance to actually scale the walls before they know what hit them.”

It's true, he thought, if the project becomes successful, Levi could have his revenge, the invisible ache of his lost limb, the painful reminder of what he lost, but also what he could gain. “Then, what are we waiting for then? Don’t pull the restraints on this Hanji, you know I’m fully capable of getting this project forward to phase two.”

“I know you can, but it's Djel’s team I am worried about.” Hanji muttered, “This is off the record, but I don’t trust him, Levi.” The way Hanji hesitated on saying more makes him wonder what else did Doctor Zoe isn’t telling him. While Levi wanted to pry further, a wall seemed to build around her with how she began to avoid eye contact with him. 

“The only other weird scientist I know in this place is you and Colt. Besides, since Djel did help in the project, it looks to me that we still have to cooperate with him.” Levi laid out the facts to her. It isn’t about not liking someone or not anymore if it meant having even an inch of progress to ending the war. “Besides, I’m working with you, not him. I don’t know what happens in phase two, but if I don’t give it a try, we can’t beat him at your own game.” 

Colt tapped against the wooden frame of the door that signaled for his return with the injection that would sedate Levi and send him back into the simulation. Levi left, Hanji to ponder her words while he settled back onto the bed. The nagging feeling of anxiety didn’t go away even after numerous sessions. Why was he always worried? It wasn’t like Hanji meant him harm. He hardly felt the needle going into his skin with the thoughts that kept him occupied.

The heaviness of the drug pulled him in while Colt strapped him down. From the corner of his left side vision, he saw Hanji move closer with a few more straps in her hands. “He’ll need more than that for Phase Two,” Levi’s ears perked up at the words but he couldn’t fight the drowsiness that quickly seeped under his skin. As his vision flickered and finally dimmed, he realized that Hanji must’ve trusted him enough to go into the second stage of the program.

Strangely, Levi waited for the environment to open for him but still found it hard to open his eyes. His breathing evened out to a soft and steady rhythm like sleep. The soft buzz by Levi’s ear indicated that the earpiece within the VR gear had turned on. “Levi, if you hear me, don’t get nervous alright, I’m just booting the simulation to the second stage. Soon, you’ll see the loading bar appear right in front of you.”

Even as she spoke, Levi still couldn’t even move his lips to speak. He tried to remain calm and just follow along with Hanji’s instructions. “Once simulation loads to one hundred percent, the doors would appear. Remember, LifeLine is a game simulation similar to time-pressure games. You are not allowed to move until the timer starts the game.” 

Anticipation and curiosity soon overtook the growing anxiety. Time pressure games had him on edge when Hanji made him play them a couple of weeks ago. The limited time to finish off enemies, or even to finish tasks pushed Levi to be constantly aware of everything and anything that happened in the limited view of his character. “This will just like the first time you entered alright. Meaning, this simulation will test you only for the real program. The ground rules of LifeLine is simple.”

A jolt of energy coursed through him, enough that it washed away the remnants of the sedative’s strength over him mentally. Levi opened his eyes. He returned to the void of his own mind. A green bar crept is way across large double doors with an iron lock. His heart hammered hard in his chest. There’s a pull that tugged on him, wanting him to just push past the doors and run headfirst through the simulation. “As a trial stage, that'll be placed on a bearable time limit. Once the game begins Levi, you can’t pause, there are no save points like the games you used to go through. If your avatar hits a critical level, or zero, you will be pulled out of the game. There is no redo.”

The green bar reached seventy percent, a lump formed at the back of his throat. He’s gunning to move. The vertical maneuver gear had become an extension of his own body after days of utilizing it. “Now, your first mission for this trial...is to scale the wall. There will be a team of Eldian scouts stopping you. However, your main goal from scaling the wall is acquiring the character that would await your command when you get there.”

Ninety percent into the loading bar, a strange calmness settled onto Levi. “How will I know which character would be my new avatar?” He asked, and even though Levi couldn’t see Hanji, he felt a smile played on Hanji’s lips. 

“You’ll know, Game?” 

Levi bent his knees slightly and pulled out the handgrips from its holsters. “Set,” he whispered, the little silly code Hanji and he exchange before Levi shuts her off entirely and focuses on the game.

“Enjoy, Mr. Grump!” Hanji nearly shouted to his ear as Levi took off just as the door swung inward and the game began.

Frozen, the best word to describe the predicament Levi entered into the second his feet planted on the thick knee-high grass roughly just a mere five kilometers away from the walls that separated him from Shiganshina. Unlike the serene, near breath-taking beauty of Shiganshina from the previous simulations Levi had entered. Phase two revealed the Eldian city to the reality it truly held under the stress of war. Away from the painter’s perspective that Levi had trained upon for days. Even in his statued position, Levi remained hyper-aware and alert.

Hanji’s words of the game’s rules replayed in his head. The timer just on the right corner of his vision indicated that only three minutes remained before the game began. It was fruitless to try and fight and strain to move his limbs. In the game, Levi’s metallic hand had been replaced by a virtual fleshed arm. The downcast sky made him wonder of Hanji set the parameters of the simulation to include even harsh weather. Thunder crackled high in the sky that Levi briefly wondered if scaling the walls were even possible. A sudden gust of wind made him aware that a hooded cloak came with his attire, a subtle difference from the trial grounds.

Levi didn’t know how much time, Hanji would give him to reach the walls, and scale it. Seconds ticked by fast that Levi internally swore for being distracted by the change of climate. A transparent guide map flared to life at the upper left corner of Levi’s helmet tinted screen. A tiny red flag marked his endpoint. When the timer signal reached the five-second mark, Levi’s straining for movement, his eyes already zoned onto the crude barricade of wagons and foot soldiers that stood along the dirt road on the halfway mark between Shiganshina’s main gates, and the wall. 

**Game, Set, Commence.** A robotic voice announced softly through the speakers on Levi’s helmet. The second his muscles were released from the frozen spell, Levi sprinted. His feet barely even leaving a mark on the dirt road with light steps the game avatar made. The enemy eldian soldiers wore beige coats with the vertical maneuver gear strapped along their bodies similar to Levi. There were scarce areas for Levi to hide but he had his speed to his advantage. He knew the game wasn’t meant to be easy, but the lax postures of the soldiers gave Levi the added time to attack first.

One of the soldiers, a lanky middle-aged man with thinning brown hair turned in time as Levi struck him on the neck with the grappling hooks of his gear. In the same fluid movement, Levi surged forward as the wire zips back and pulled him forward. “Viktor!” One of the men shouted in horrid shock while the one Levi struck choked on his own blood. Before the other four soldiers could lift their guns or draw swords, Levi switched his left sword to a reverse grip, the dull edge of the blade resting against his forearm. The blade struck under the barrel of the second Eldian’s rifle, causing the man to fire a shot upward. Levi plunges the blade straight through the man’s side, the thin blade caught on the man’s body but with grunting effort, Levi planted his foot to the ground and brought the swing to a full arc. His right sword simultaneously striking the back of the neck of another Eldian and cutting off the head from the body entirely. 

With three dead bodies lying in a heap at his feet, the remaining two soldiers paled while Levi pulled the blade from the side of the fallen soldier. From the corner of his eye, one of the soldiers lifted his rifle with shaking hands in a lousy attempt to shoot Levi point-blank. For a bunch of Non-Player Characters, Levi gave Hanji the credit to put a close to life realism to a soldier who’d known that death stood at his doorstep. Levi held onto the barrel of the gun before striking the Eldian straight in the gut with a strong roundhouse kick. The man lost his grip, which made Levi shove the other end of the rifle right at the man’s face, the crunching sound of a broken nose and string of curses soon followed.

“Don’t waste time, Levi,” Hanji’s voice reminded from within his earpiece. 

“I’m not,” He answered, aware of the ticking seconds that glared a bright red along the side of his vision. Without even a glance to the last remaining Eldian, Levi placed a hand on the trigger, before he half spun and fired the gun directly at the remaining Eldian. “I still got twenty minutes left to find the target.” 

Picking his way around the makeshift barricade to the walls, Levi discovered the tethered horses behind a circle of wagons. Cautiously, he approached one of the saddled steads and untied the pure black stallion. “Back up is on its way to get you,” Hanji noted, while Levi swung up on the tall horse.

With a hard flick on the reins, the horse galloped toward the walls. A brief spake jolted under Levi’s skin that made him suddenly more aware of his surroundings. The instinctive movement to lean closer to the neck of the horse and the loose loop grip on the reins felt too familiar as if he’d ridden on horseback like second nature. His focus returned back to the motion of the simulation as the shouts of various commands reached his ears. Levi glanced up and saw the shift of movement from high on the walls. What seemingly appeared as humans jumping off the side of the walls were actually soldiers in the motion of swinging through the perimeter with their gears. Levi turned the horse away from the main gates of Shiganshina and rode the horse in a fairly close distance to the walls.

**Target is near.** The words flared green before his eyes that Levi made a mistake to look up. A hooded man free fell straight toward him with a sword drawn ready to strike. Levi hissed out a curse before firing one of his grappling hooks of the gear upward, to the wall. The second he felt the tension against his hip, Levi leaped off the horse just seconds before the man pierced the back of his stead. Levi didn’t have the leisure to fully assessed his assailant before he twisted in the air and fired another hook further up the wall. The compressed air from the exhausted behind him further sped Levi up the side of Rose. Midway through the walls, the soldiers below him halted on their chase and clung alongside the walls which made him uneasy. 

**Target is near,** the message repeated before a booming voice shouted, “Now!”

Arrows rained down at Levi’s direction, and for a fraction of a second, Levi caught a glimpse of a tall blond man that stood along the edge of the walls. A red flare shone above his head before it shifted and showed Levi the name of the character. His target set him up on a trap. Levi cut through the first volley of arrows, but was ultimately unable to defend himself as his target leaped off the wall and headed not at Levi, but at the only hook and wire that held Levi in place on his way up to Wall Rose. The target’s glacial blue eyes zeroed down on him, before swinging the blade across the wire. Levi tried using the compressed air within his gear to push him up the remaining distance, just a few feet away from the top if it weren’t for the blade that struck Levi right on the chest by the man he was assigned to find.

The man, not only was quicker but smart enough to anticipate Levi’s movement. Pain numbed Levi’s entire body and sent another antagonizing wave as his target smirked and harshly pulled the sword out Levi’s body. Erwin Smith remained suspended along the side of the wall while Levi’s entire screen dimmed as the words **Game Over** pulled the frustrated Levi out of the simulation.

It was the first time Levi lost within LifeLine, and it had been also a first that he got such a critical hit. When Hanji rushed to his side, Levi tried desperately to sit up or move, his heart rate jumped up so fast that Hanji hand to shove Levi back down on the bed. “Levi snap out of it, you’re not falling, or dying!” 

Hanji didn’t let go of Levi until the man’s wide eyes finally focused on her and Hanji visibly saw him steady his breathing. “Are you with me now kitten?” Hanji teased which caused the right reaction out of him.

“Call me that again and I’ll punch you in the face.” Levi’s threat came with no bite, but the scowl remained on his features. “Also, get off me already.” Levi tried to push against the restraints that still held him in place, and with the added weight of Hanji as she straddled him, it took moments before she realized the awkward positioning.

“Fine, fine Mr. Grump.” Hanji hopped off him, while Colt finally stepped in and further helped unstrapped Levi from the bed. “You were restless that we had to tighten the straps or else you’d fall off the bed.” She explained while Colt works through the restraints on his ankles.

By the time Levi could properly stand up, Hanji tackled him with questions about phase two, but Levi’s mind remained only with the adversary that outsmarted him with every step. “Hanji, who’s Erwin Smith?” 

The scientist raised an eyebrow before she settled right back down on a chair next to Levi’s bed. “There are very few files about the military operations of Eldia, but from what we’ve gathered from previous encounters with him and from...Zeke’s account. Erwin Smith is a formidable commander of the Eldians. He’s been able to hold a strong defense along Shiganshina, thus making any attacks with that side of the wall impossible.” 

Levi swung his legs off the bed and stood up. He couldn’t recall Erwin Smith from his previous missions, but then, his memory had been shitty since his last one in Paradis. “How dangerous is he?” 

“Compared to you?” Hanji huffed a laugh before she strode back to her chair worktable and flicked through the data from Levi’s previous immersion. “Erwin is actually your character through the game, you’d acquire him the second you reached the top of the wall. Which, I will add, is actually not your first mission, but more like an introductory to it.”

“This game is harder than I expected,” Levi muttered causing Hanji to chuckle before ordering Colt to get them some coffee.

“It is calibrated to match your capabilities, but nothing you can’t handle after some practice, right captain?” Hanji turned her chair back to the monitor while Levi slumped right back on the bed.

A part of him remained annoyed with how easily he lost to the character, but then he also liked the challenge at the start of the game. He turned his head to look at the time on the clock above Hanji’s station only to know he still had more time to jump right back into the simulation. In the past, Hanji and Colt would only knock him out once and end the game after his signal. With the game officially ending too early because of his character's death, Levi actually had time to kill.

Colt returned after a few minutes with two mugs. After passing one to Levi and one to Hanji, Levi took a few tentative sips before he joined the pair of scientists near their monitors. “So now what?” 

“Now, we would have to call it the night, sorry Levi, but I won’t risk having you put under for the program again because it might be bad for your head.” 

“Can’t I just jump right in without the sedative?” 

The two scientists briefly looked at each other, where only the subtle change in facial expressions made him aware of the silent conversation. Colt sighed and rolled his chair across the tables and pulled out a clipboard that listed down various chemicals Levi didn’t know to pronounce. “It takes less than a minute to get you into an unconscious state that is safe enough to run the program. The simulation acts similar to how one’s mind enters a state of dreaming. The body relaxes and the mind works on autopilot as motor skills remain inactive. For short, the sedative just speeds up the process for you to enter that dream state. LifeLine’s program simply replaces that land of dreams with the simulation.”

“What Colt’s trying to say, is that if you want to go in without having fast-acting sleeping pills, you have to go to snooze for the program to kick in.” Hanji summarized and Levi tried to weigh his odds. If he wanted to scale the walls, he had to do a different way of approaching the walls.

_ “If you want to survive, there is no time to think, you just have to go forward and survive.”_ Levi stood up immediately as the words that rang through his mind felt brought back a glimpse of a memory he couldn’t fully comprehend. Besides him, Hanji and Colt looked at him in surprise for his sudden movement.

His head began to throb as he tried to remember when, where and who said those words, but the more he tried to reach for that memory, the more it slipped through his fingers like sand. “What’s wrong?” Hanji asked with genuine concern, and it was only then that Levi realized that his fingers in one hand were trembling. “Maybe we should really end the session now, you seem tired.”

“No,” Levi whispered he stared at his hands, one made of metal, and the other made of flesh. The vast difference between his two limbs centered him, reminded of why he willingly helped Hanji and Colt with the program. He hesitated a lot through the game, thinking nothing of it, but that, a game, rather than putting his full efforts and taking it seriously.

_Go forward and survive._ Levi steeled himself and walked right back to the bed. He didn’t need the sedative, or to be strapped down. 

“Captain Levi?” Colt slowly stood and about to approach him, while Levi brought the helmet down himself onto his head and lied perfectly back. 

“Start the simulation, all I need is just one more shot.”

A soft snicker escaped from Hanji as she regarded her defiant friend. Stubborn little shit. She thought before entering the code to restart the simulation. Colt gawked as Hanji did what Levi requested before sitting back in her seat.

“This isn’t safe,” Colt muttered but sat closer to Hanji. She knew of the risk of forcing the brain to a near lucid state to kickstart the simulation. Yet, it’s also Levi Ackerman, the same person Hanji had known for years. 

Hanji crossed her arms and leaned closer to the microphone as the simulation flared to life on her widescreen. “Ackerman, if you fucked this up, you’re not entering this lab for a week for screwing up your own head. You got twenty minutes.” The timer began to countdown the start of the simulation.

Surprising both of them, Levi laughed. “I’ll give you results in less than that.” The confidence in his tone only coaxed Hanji’s already growing excitement as she watched her friend’s eyes. Levi sprinted again through the main path, but unlike last time, Levi didn’t stop to kill all the soldiers. He cleaved a straight path through using only one blade. Hanji and Colt watched with fascination as Levi pushed the mobility and speed of the robot. 

“He's not going to use the horses,” Colt muttered in awe while Hanji squealed in delight as Levi used the vertical maneuver gear to propel him forward using the scattered small houses.

The short man leaped up from the rooftops before accelerating through the air using the compressed air within the gear. Unlike the first simulation, thunder cut through the silence of the simulation, and the backup Eldians from the wall started to descend. “This is where his first hurdle comes in,” Hanji said to her assistant, but Levi surprised her further by firing a hook straight at the wall while drawing his blades. At that moment, Hanji slammed her hands on the table and leaned forward in glee.

Levi didn’t avoid the conflict, he tackled it head-on. Hanji watched as her friend began scaling the wall with nothing but the wire and propulsion from his gear pushing him up. Erwin Smith and the rest of the Eldians trailed after him, but Levi moved too fast.

“How will he avoid the arrows?” Colt argued, and right on cue, the archers on the top of the wall rained down arrows on Ackerman.

“He’ll reach the top.” Hanji crossed her arms over her chest and leaned back. Exceeding her expectations, Levi kicked off the wall and their view began to spin uncontrollably. A knowing grin forming on her lips while Colt continued to watch with his jaw hanging open.

Levi spun like a yo-yo while slicing through the arrows aimed at him. A move Hanji has seen in action years before. When the camera finally righted itself Hanji cheered as Levi fired another shot of his gear that stuck to the top of the wall. She shrieked even louder and pulled Colt to a bear hug the moment Levi flew above the wall and his eyes narrowed upon the smug face of Erwin Smith.

“You’re mine fuzzy brows,” Levi spoke calmly before he landed on the wall and shoved the sharp edge of his sword right under Erwin’s chin. All movement from the soldiers around them paused before the bright and bold words appeared before Hanji’s screen.

STAGE ONE COMPLETED  
New character acquired:  
Recon Group Commander Erwin Smith

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you made it this far, thank you so much for reading ^_^  
I haven't figured out yet how often I will be able to update this story, but I'll try to find a manageable time in between my work. 
> 
> Much as I want to go for a weekly update, it really depends on how much workload I got for the week TwT, anyways, see you guys on the next update!


	3. Part Three: The First Mission

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Due to the extremely slow built of this first part of the story, I am apologizing this late about the pacing with the first chapter. I had to break this chapter into three parts just to get a more manageable way for you guys to understand the worldbuilding going on in LifeLine. That being said, this is going to be the last one on the introductory to the game with Levi. After this chapter the story would pick up on pacing and intensity. I won’t prolonged you guys any longer aside this little note.
> 
> Lastly, feel free to comment about what you guys think of the story so far, and thank you so much for reading the end of the First Mission. From here on out, it's going to be a rough ride of Levi.

The sunlight nearly blinded Levi during the morning while he continued to sit on a bench at the facility’s rooftop garden. Being inside the facility messed up his body clock, and officially made him a nocturnal creature. Hanji and Colt slept through the rest of the morning, which left Levi to be a sleep-deprived grown man from playing LifeLine. All he wanted to do that morning was curl under the covers, and sleep through the whole daylight. However, work had other plans as Levi got called for an appointment in the medical ward to do his monthly check-up. 

The cloudless skies and occasional whistle of the train’s arrival at the station help kept Levi’s mind off the surreal game he’d been tasked to focus on. Levi thought a quick shower and heavy breakfast -that consisted of waffles, and bacon would help. It only accomplished to make him drowsier by the minute. He stood closer to the edge of the building with his eyes scanning over the vast port and the open seas. A few single-piston engine airplanes flew pass on its morning round through Liberio. The last time Levi flew on the small aircraft, was on his quick flight to the Mid-Eastern fort. The battle over the eastern kingdom required more machinery than manpower. The government pushes more efforts into the war, and thus, the meager funds remain for the science department. 

“I knew that I’d find you here.” Levi half turned to the man standing by the entrance to the rooftop. Grisha Yeager stood with his brown, worn-leather medical bag slung over one shoulder. The man’s dark hair grew longer that it touched his shoulders. Grisha readjusted his round glasses on his face and walked toward Levi with an outstretched hand. “You look pale Ackerman.”

Levi huffed a short laugh, it’s not because of the recent lack of sunlight but from the fact that Levi had once lived underground. During the times' that airstrikes forced his family to the safety of the encampment areas. He took Grisha’s hand and gave it a quick yet firm shake. “Being cooped up at the facility makes me forget the sun exists.” 

Grisha was the same doctor that operated on Levi’s hand just weeks after his surgery. The man used to work for a private hospital within Liberio, but after his son joined the military, Grisha changed his focus. He began helping wounded soldiers and practiced creating functioning prosthetic arms, and legs. The dark circles under the eyes and greying hair gave Grisha an older appearance. While the doctor is only in his late fifties. “Right, let’s get inside and check this hand.”

The medical ward was situated on the upper floors of the facility. From Levi’s understanding, the ward was built due to the government’s emergency power. Titan’s main building is by the ports. Due to the prototype weaponry developed and tested at a safe distance from the city proper. The facility had been managed by the Commanding Officer of Marley for the past two decades. In recent years had it began to take in doctors during the start of the war with Eldia. Soldiers were brought in by choppers and ships, with Levi being one of them. Levi rarely lingered along the halls of the upper floors, since the weaponry and research department is on the underground floors, and away from the public eye. The medical ward experienced some overcapacity of patients throughout the wars. Even so, Titan continued on being the emergency center to soldiers that came from Eldia, and the Mid-Eastern Fort.

Levi and Grisha went into one of the unoccupied patient’s room and wasted no time in getting the necessary screwdrivers and spare bolts that Levi’s arm needed. The two men each took a seat on one side of the table, and Levi let the doctor hold onto his metallic hand. Grisha rolled the sleeves up to expose the rest of the metal plating covering most of the arm. “It doesn’t hurt when you move your muscles like before?” Grisha asked, while he turned Levi’s palm one way or the other, and even fully rotated the whole hand one-eighty to address the small screech of metal grinding against metal along the joints. 

“No, but some days the thing hurts like a bitch when it gets too cold,” Levi admitted as Grisha applied more drops of oil along the seams and joints. 

“Its the reaction of your body heat affecting the metal under your skin. Just avoid extreme temperatures and you will be fine.” 

“You know I won’t be a hundred percent fine, doc.” He muttered, and even though Grisha tried to hide the pity and sadness in his eyes. The doctor saw far too many times of Levi’s depressive episodes during his recovery period.

The commander introduced him to Grisha, as the last chance to pull out of the miserable self-loathing from losing a limb. The doctor continued to adjust the screws and instructed Levi to move one finger or the other. Levi's eyes lingered onto the brass key that hung around Grisha’s neck. A headache began to form again as flashes of his older memories tried to resurface. Memories of a key; identical to Grisha’s that swayed softly under the dim candlelight, he recalled arms that wrapped around him, while a foreign feeling of utter calm and happiness made his heart race, and lastly, the thick cord, and key between his numb finger, while his breaths came out in short gasps of pain. It wasn’t until Grisha’s hand on his shoulder that brought him back to the present.

Levi whispered a soft apology, and brought the heel of his hand to his head, placing a small form of pressure against the ache on his temple. “Your brain fucking with you again?” Grisha asked while he sorted through his equipment. Months ago, Levi would’ve already been removed from service due to his PTSD. Yet the commander placed him in a much stricter recovery program, to help Levi get back a level of normalcy. Therapy however only went as far as keeping his emotions in check. It didn’t help with the gaps in his memories. 

“It’s been fucked up for months, but I’m still trying.” Levi’s phone vibrated with a message from Hanji. 

**_Hey Shorty! I heard that you got a check-up with Grisha. No biggie, since you’ve been sleeping your butt off during the LifeLine Gear simulations. I’ve decided to give you a day-off to recharge. I have some reports and meetings to do with the director of the research department. If you want to hang out in the laboratory because you miss my lovely company, you can play with Colt while I’m gone!  
Love you, Weeevi!_**

“Fuck you, Hanji,” he replied back before shoving the phone back in his pocket. 

“I see that you and Professor Zoe are getting chummy these days.” Grisha zipped up his bag and laughed heartily at the horrid expression that crossed Levi’s face at the thoughts of his relationship with Hanji.

“I’m in a forced contract with an actual mad scientist in the Research department’s project. We’re not ‘chummy’.”

Grisha let the topic drop and gave Levi a new prescription for his lingering pains. After the checkup, the two of them walked down the halls of the medical ward, the clack of boots got their attention. A group of men marched straight towards Levi. The group took up most of the hallway and pushed him and Grisha to stop. A pair of soldiers escorted a middle-aged scientist between them. Levi had very minimal interaction with the scientists of the facility, however, he felt uneasy at the huge smile and predatory gaze from the man in the lab coat. “Levi Ackerman!” The man said with full enthusiasm, he crossed the distance with quick strides and clasped both hands on Levi’s shoulder. The shorter man quickly pulls away from the contact and scowl harder at the scientist.

Realization momentarily crossed the man’s face before he placed his hands behind his back. A strong smell of bleach and other chemicals clung to the man’s white coat that had Levi scrunch his nose. “My apologies, it has been a long time since I’ve seen you, Ackerman.” he gave Levi another once over stare that further made him uncomfortable. Levi’s eyes lingered over the ID and lanyard around the man’s neck.

“Djel Sannes,” The man Hanji detested, nodded his head and then turned to Grisha, who only gave a small nod of acknowledgment. “I’ve heard a bit of detail about you from Doctor Zoe.” Levi prompts further, which caused a flicker of curiosity on the older man’s face before hiding it behind a chuckle.

“Yes, but I’ve known you longer than that Mr. Ackerman,” Djel spoke with an underlying tone that Levi couldn’t identify. “I was part of the team that operated on you after the battle on Paradis Beach. So to say, that your life is saved by my hands.”

Levi’s face gave nothing away. It remained the same bored and relaxed expression that many often confused about him being aloof and uncaring. His outward self didn’t reflect the conflict of emotions within him, which triggered a fight or flight instincts that even he couldn’t explain. “What is it that you want, Sir?” Levi went to the point, he didn’t believe in coincidences, and from the guarded escorts. Djel had a business to attend to than talking with a handicapped soldier and his doctor.

Djel cleared his throat and glanced up to one of his escorts. The man simply handed Djel a tablet. Hanji’s words ringing in his mind. Of how the scientist in front of Levi was more than just how he appeared. Levi didn’t know if it were his battle-hardened instincts, or simply him having mastered the means to read people because of the harsh training he went through from the commander. Djel held a strange air around him that reminded Levi of walking through the streets in a mist. “If you are done with your...physical examination with Mr. Yeager, then please follow me to my laboratory.”

“It’s my day off sir. I won’t be going to the labs until Hanji returns.” Levi countered, but Djel merely shook his head, as if Levi’s a silly child that reasoned with an adult.

“May I remind you, captain, that while Hanji is the lead developer into the program. _I_ am under the government’s contract to supervise all projects and experiments within the facility. Which, you have already signed up to cooperate on. Now hurry along, we are burning daylight.” The man hardly gave a glance, to see if Levi trailed right behind him and before Levi gave him a snarky remark, Grisha’s hand pressed firmly on Levi’s shoulder in warning. 

Only a few people remained too difficult for him to read. Aside from his commander, Grisha had an extremely well-placed mask of indifference that never matched with the tone of his voice when speaking. “I’ll see myself out, Levi. Go along with Djel and see what he wants. Don’t make this too hard for Hanji than it already is with the project.” Reigning in his frustrations, a part of Levi wanted so badly to rebel but quickly dampened out the thought. It might just bite him and Hanji when the joint venture of the project completely went underway. Levi clenched and unclenched his hands while one of the Djel’s bodyguards waited for him.

Levi feels like he teleported to the future with how extremely different Djel's laboratory is from Hanji's. The mad woman's laboratory consisted of four sections, each divided by either sliding doors, and walls. The first room had been Hanji’s main office, where her’s and Colt’s workstation was. The main office reminded Levi of an undercover spy’s bunker from the number of computer monitors and completed with floor to ceiling shelves filled with books, files, and documents. Besides Hanji’s main office, came the storage room turned into Levi’s temporary living quarters. Levi remembered in full detail how he spent a good five hours yelling at Hanji, just for how much of a garbage dump, she left the state of the storage room. He would’ve shoved the mop at her stupid cheeky grin when he found a molding hamburger under a box of used latex gloves. Next came the small pantry and kitchen just across Levi’s, and lastly, Hanji’s laboratory made as her personal home away from home. For Levi, Hanji's lab felt similar to the designated living quarters for a small family in the underground. It certainly did come with the personal items and the soft scent of coffee that overpowered the smell of sanitizers. 

Djel's lab could be summarized with just two words; white, and sterile. The intimidating, tall machinery hummed and flickered along the walls. Glass cabinets contained vitals of liquids and a wide array of medical equipment. There were wide-open spaces, unlike Hanji’s space. The laboratory reminded Levi of a mechanized operating room with four long tables, aligned with a dozen scientists glued to the screens, typing away reports, and checking notes Levi didn’t understand. Long windows separated the main lab to a closed-off room that caught his attention. Djel steered him toward the gurney at the center of the laboratory. A large spotlight hung overhead, along with other metal arms that bore devices foreign to Levi. 

“Now, sit down for me, Levi, and we can start the simulation.” Djel placed a hand on Levi’s nape that caused him to flinch and quickly moved away from the touch of the older man.

“You want me to enter the LifeLine simulation? Why couldn’t we just wait for Hanji since she has the program.”

The bodyguards were soon replaced by a few of Djel’s assistances. Levi vaguely recognized the cold eyes, and it hit him. “This...I was operated here.” One of the other lab coats guided him to sit by the gurney but goosebumps raised on his entire body. . 

Djel walked over to one of the computers. Levi noticed the familiar landscape of Shiganshina from the simulation. "Yes, you were.” The smile on Djel’s face and steady gaze at Levi as if he was some other successful experiments of his. “The Eldians did a number on you. Multiple organ failures, an emergency amputation -just to stop the toxins on your flesh from rapidly eating away more critical nerves. If not for my skills, you’d be six feet under the dirt, Mr. Ackerman. Now, let’s not reminisce on the past, and look forward to more collaborations in the future.”

The LifeLine Gear helmet of Djel's looked more refined than Hanji’s, he still felt hesitant to work without her knowing. “It’ll be over quick before you know it, and then you can be on your merry way.” Djel voiced out the silent concern he had, which only relieved Levi by a fraction. He walked over to the gurney and positioned himself to lie down. Similar to Hanji’s gear, Djel’s silver, sleek helmet fitted snugly over Levi’s head. Levi awaited the prick of the needle that would sedate him before the simulation began, but Djel’s face hovered above him and to Levi’s surprise, he felt a hand lift the back of his head. One of the lab coats strapped a breathing mask over his nose and mouth. 

Seconds later, cold puffs of air entered his lungs, and Levi’s body quickly grew numb. He couldn’t fight the sudden lightheadedness or the fading grip on reality. “Sleep tight Ackerman, see you on the other side.”

**Game. Set. Commence.** The words echoed all around Levi but he struggled to resurface from the impact of whatever drug Djel made him inhale. One thing that did guarantee Levi that he entered the simulation is the sounds of the ocean waves that filled the silence. A groan escaped his lips as he tried to gather his bearings. Sand shifted under his fingers and boots under his attempt to sit up. This isn’t Shiganshina. He thought. Levi opened his eyes and didn’t recognize where he was. 

The midday sun glared high above Levi, while tall weathered rock formations surround him, it didn’t give him a clue on where his exact location was. He tsked at the sand that clung to the side of his face and soles while the azure waters lapped against the shore in the lazy push and pull. “Where the heck am I?” he asked, and hoped that anyone on Djel’s team would answer him, but he was greeted with radio silence. “Terrific,” Levi muttered to himself and stood.

With no indicators or messages popped up along the tinted screen, Levi opted to follow the holographic map at the edge of his field of vision and headed for the familiarity of the towering walls. “Nah-ah-ah, Mr. Ackerman.” Djel’s voice whispered like a breath against his ear. A current of electricity surged through Levi, sending tendrils of pain through his nerves. Quickly as it came, the jolt vanished but even as he physically wanted to collapse and gather his wits, Levi couldn’t move. A countdown timer glared into existence before his eyes that marked the start of the game. 

“Remember Captain, that this is all but a game.” Djel reminded the constriction of Levi’s muscles gave him no room to even gulp in enough air to quell the racing of his heart. From the distance, Levi heard the unmistakable sound of a horn, followed by the yells of soldiers. “Time pressure games are your specialty isn’t corporal? I recall that you could work well under pressure.”

Levi tuned out the remarks as his eyes went toward the Eldian soldiers, a group of seven that raced over to him up on horsebacks, their green cloaks fluttered in the air nearly pulled Levi back to the mass of shredded cloaks that appeared more like large rave wings at night as they leaped from one rooftop to another. Before full-blown panic took him, Levi shoved the dark memories back. The timer trickled quickly down to a minute left of the frozen spell, but he doubted the soldiers would spare him the minute to gather fully calm his breathing. “What exactly do you want Djel?” Levi all but repeating his previous question as he mentally prepared his movement.

Similar to his past immersions, the gear remained secured around his torso and waist. As Erwin Smith being his primary character, Levi inwardly swore at not even having the time to ease himself to the difference of size and abilities the character had. There was no practice run, and if the same rules of the game applied, Levi couldn’t pause as the timer signaled the beginning of his mission. “You’re to find a character that I will give you as a...welcome to our little program.” Djel had an edge on the tone as if the man-made a clever inside joke. Before Levi could even ask what the man meant, a location had pinned onto Levi’s map. The distance, farther than he could cross in a run, and with the terrain lacking the height of either trees or houses that would lift him to an elevated advantage. 

“Your first official mission, Ackerman is to siege Trost, a fortified city within the second wall of Eldia. Accomplish it within a given timeframe and use the resources provided...that is if you can make it out from that current predicament you have right there.” Plenty of vile things wanted to form a coherent thought if it weren’t for the end of the countdown and Levi’s instincts taking over.

Levi fired straight at one of the charging soldiers, the hook pierced straight through the soldier’s chest and he didn’t waste time to use the momentum of the wire’s pull and shoved the corpse off the saddle. The last thing the soldiers on either side of him saw was the glint of thin blades slashing through their midsection and Levi’s low form after twisting on the saddle, and he raced through the plains to beat the clock. 

The given time, forty minutes, the minutes Levi wasted to get from the shorelines to Wall Maria took him thirty minutes. Even without voicing his concerns, he gritted his teeth and bite back the curses with how much Djel sent him on a fool’s errand. Based on the information that Levi stumbled upon from Erwin’s data, Trost happened to be a city along wall Rose, which meant, he still had to traverse over Wall Maria, but it had been a day’s journey at best to get from Paradis Beach. “Stop screwing with me Djel,” Levi said in warning as the sand shifted to hard-packed dirt while he steered the chestnut gelding through the path Djel mapped. 

“I’m not screwing with you Levi.” Djel laughed as Levi heard the shouts of the scouts that were hot on his trail. Levi flinched at the sound of a gun going off. He turned his head in time to see the scouts sent up a smoke signal in the air, a streak of red smoke lingered at the bullet’s trajectory. “This is me simply pointing you in the right direction.” A small notification popped up along Levi’s right side: _You’ve arrived at the Docks._

A hard lump formed on Levi’s throat as he realized where Djel led him toward. The strong scents of the sea and smoke wood tickled his nose, but the unmistakable olive green flags that waved proudly at the tops of the watchtowers drawn him closer to the settlements. “Welcome Home Mr. Ackerman, while taking Trost is your first mission, you need a team to get Smith there in one piece and take over the city.”

Even from the distance, Levi could distinguish the ruins that were the Docks. Wooden stilt houses were charred to rickety frames while standing upright along the edges of the shoreline. Studier built homes, formed the inner part of the city and the fortified tall redwood walls were a flimsy second to the Eldian’s pride handiwork known as; Wall Maria, Rose, and Sina. In broad daylight, the uninhibited city remained at a discarded and sad state. Nature slowly reclaimed it through the weeds sprouting from the ashes. Levi was just a mere spectator than a player as his horse continued to gallop closer, to the last known place on Paradis he fought among the vanguard. “My own character is there for you to command Ackerman. Use it as you see fit. With that Army right on your heel, you’d need all the help you can get. Find him before the timer runs out.”

“There are only eight fucking minutes left, how will I find your damn character?” Levi spat before he tensed at the soft yet distinct hissing sound he grown acquainted with through the game. He tugged hard on the reins to the right, but its seconds too late. The chestnut stallion shrieked just as excruciating pain from Erwin’s right leg ripped a howl of agony. Two of the scouts managed to attack Levi and his horse using the gear. Biting his lower lip to keep the focus on anything other than the hook impaled to Erwin’s leg straight into the horse’s side. Levi pulled out his sword and blindly slashed through the wire. The sudden loss of the tension made the horse slumped forward and thrown him off the saddle. 

His combat training kicked in automatically and rolled to break his fall, but standing up became near impossible as Erwin’s injured leg refused to bear his weight. Levi remained crouched down, highly aware of the blood that gushed out from the wound. On the upper left corner of his screen, Levi noticed the slow drop of Erwin’s stamina from the damage. A rational part of him knew everything was a game, but the trepidation of his heart and the uncontrollable shaking of his fingers were all too familiar. Levi didn’t even need to look at the remaining time left. His character didn’t want to move, and the pain itself nearly made Levi himself double over. 

Dark spots danced through his vision, Levi grunted through the pain and forced himself to stand. Placing most of his weight on his good leg, Levi focused more on his breathing, somehow, his character, Erwin Smith’s heart rate ran in a much faster-paced even when Levi still remained in what Hanji called, a killing calm. He became aware of everything around him, and with his limp, Levi fired blindly and kicked off the ground. The wire coiled itself back within the gear fast as Levi ascended. He pivoted once he got high enough for his feet to brush the tilted roofs and allowed himself the precious seconds to slump on the soot layered roof. 

Recovery time didn’t stop the stamina from dwindling or the clock from slowing down. Sweat pasted the shirt of his avatar to the skin, and Levi became critically aware of how vulnerable his position was. Every movement sent pins and needles of pain through the open wound. The horses below him, neighed and mingled with the bark of orders between the scouts. Levi pushed the battered body onward. Finding characters within LifeLine didn’t indicate who could be trusted and who was not. Erwin had tried to kill Levi before, and the simple task of finding Djel’s character reached a near impossible at the hurdles thrown at him. Using the hidden knife tucked in his boot. Levi cut through the lower end of his cloak and hastily tied the strip around the puncture wound.

Levi barely knotted the strip in place when a large shadow loomed above him. The scout roared before he swung the blade straight at Erwin. The grip on the trigger in wielded backhandedly, Levi brought his left arm up close to his side. Sparks flew between the clash of steel. Both of the soldier’s hands were on the single blade, Levi struck out at the man’s midsection using his uninjured leg that sent the man tumbling back. Two more soldiers reached him on the roof, but Levi was already moving before they landed. Levi leaped off the roof and fired, sailing above the ruins and dropped into a gaping crater on the side of one of the buildings. The sound of bullets rained on the concrete wall, and it’s then that Levi realized how few sturdy buildings remained along with the parts of the docks. He tried to formulate an escape plan yet came up dry. The only thing that made the scouts hesitant from following him within the building was Levi’s lethal fighting style even with the injury. 

He was no closer to the character he had to find, and the clock inch closer to the two-minute mark. Levi allowed Erwin to slump against the cold stone wall and closed his eyes. A part of him hated how he allowed himself to wallow in defeat, but he remained vaguely aware of the scouts that enclosed his hiding spot. Levi glanced at his message notifications at something he didn’t read sooner.

_A New Character has arrived._

Erwin’s heavy breathing and aching leg distracted Levi to the point that he hadn't noticed a strange green dot that moved fast through the map. The fast depleting stamina of his character made him hesitant to leave the building. Levi placed one of his handgrips down and made a vertical swipe gesture just as how Hanji brief him about opening the other options in the game. Three icons popped up before Levi’s screen. **Player Chatbox**, is where Levi could send messages to any other player/character within the same map range in the game, however, the other character could accept or reject messages. Levi also had the same options. **Character Journal** leaned more on providing details about the character and its special skills. However, Levi could only view the stats of character he handled and only see snippets of character background from other player characters. Lastly, the character **Switch** option that still remained non-functional on Levi’s list of options. Hanji explained that it wouldn’t be operational until much later into the game. Colt, however, hinted that the Switch option would become more of a verbal command than an option button. While the last icon still held no use for Levi, he tapped on the player chatbox and typed a simple message and question.

_I'm trapped in a building, please help me. Who are you?_

One of the scouts begun to feel brave, enough to even perch at the edge of the same hole on the side of the building Levi entered. “Look who’s the cornered mouse now.” The man glared down at Levi, one of the swords gripped tightly as he approached Levi. “I’m going to butcher you like how you didn’t even blink an eye murdering a couple of snot-nose cadets.” 

A small chime sound and a text bubble appeared at the lower edge of Levi’s vision seconds after a bullet went straight through the side of the scout’s head and he slumped dead in front of Levi. Levi peered out from the side of the hole, estimating the path of the bullet and noticed a man that stood at a building opposite from his. A rifle strapped across his lean, and lithe body. The man had a pair of black tinted goggles over his eyes and a gas mask that covered his lower face. Even from the distance Levi barely differentiates the man from the sandstone walls of where he perched thanks to the beige helmet and camouflage jacket. The man stood, and a strange gravitational pull tugged at Levi to fully look at the man who planted the bullet. 

_ A Friend._


	4. Gaps and Glitches

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is insanely longer than what I am used to writing. However, I didn’t want to break this chapter up like how I did with the first chapter. In the spirit of an early Halloween chapter, I planned to give you guys a treat for still sticking around :3. 
> 
> Also if you guys want to send me a message or anything, you guys can look me up at Twitter: @DanDeeLion. Fair warning, though I usually fangirl on kpop there and the occasional anime hyping. But you guys can reach me from there ^_^. As always, thank you guys so much for reading.

_Two Years Ago_

He missed him, even as he laid down on the bed they shared that had that familiar earthen, and citrus smell of the man he loves. It began to fade into nonexistence since his departure a couple of weeks back. The chill of the early morning seeped through the glass windows that he sought comfort under the woolen blankets. Try as he might, once he stirred from sleep, there was no going back. He rolled onto the side of the bed his partner often slept on. The pillow remained chill under his cheek, if he buried his nose into it, the familiar scent calmed him. Eren would’ve wanted to have the day to himself and do nothing, and that was the plan until an insistent knocking ruined his peaceful bubble.

“What?” He asked and sunk deeper into the covers as the door opened, letting the light from the hall enter the darkroom.

Eren opened one eye and saw a bob of blond hair with a pair of large, tired, blue eyes of his best friend greeted him just outside the door with a book tucked in the other. “The commander and the rest of his squad are back.” Energy suddenly spiked him and washed away any trace of sleep at the words. 

Throwing back the blankets, Eren quickly went to his dresser and began to change out of his nightclothes and into the standard uniform of the scouts. From the corner of his eye, he noticed Armin’s surprised and equally worried expression, but he didn’t want a lecture. He’d get one from one particular crass older man sooner into the day anyway. “Did they meet up with…” he didn’t need to finish his question for Armin to understand what he implied.

Eren expected a different answer, but with the apologetic smile on his friend’s face, he got the short end of the problem. A lump formed in his throat while Armin dragged him out of his quarters. “Look on the bright side, you finally get him back after not seeing each other for almost two weeks.”

He didn’t want to admit it, but the time spent apart did build unspoken anxiety from not being close to his lover. They didn't like the situation at all, Eren feared the outcome of the meeting that followed on the commander's return. Armin and Eren remained silent as they left the estate where the Survey Corps stayed at. The upgrade had no doubt been the cause of the Royal Family’s keen interest in him. It did wonders, such as the increase of cadets into the particular sector of the government. Armin shoved Eren out of the door and explained that he had needed sleep for staying up too late. Bubbling with too much energy, he made a beeline for the watchtower by Wall Maria. 

A few of the townspeople were awake as Eren made his way from the center of the city to the narrow cobblestone paths that led to the outskirts of town. For once, Eren didn’t feel self-conscious, with a skip in his step, he liked how the day started until seeing the poster pinned near the bar Garrison soldiers hung out in the evenings. _The Nephilim has come to save us all._ He ripped the poster out and disposed of it in a trash can behind the filthy bar. For good measure, Eren pulled the hood of his green cloak over his head, meager protection from what? He didn’t even know anymore, but his anxiety shot up again from the words he head. The longing for his lover only gotten stronger, but so did the uncertainty.

No assurances could keep the fear at bay even when the white flag beaconed toward the watchtowers of Maria. Two men on horseback approached, escorted by the Survey Corps’ Commander, Erwin Smith, and his trusted squad. He should have been there to meet with the Marleyans by the Docks, yet his lover wouldn’t allow it, no, he commanded Eren to remain at the safety behind the walls. As sunrise approached, the lights from the watchtowers and Streetlamps flickered off gradually. The solar panels on the base of the lamps began to absorb energy for yet another long hot day ahead.

The smell of alcohol wafted the air before a hand ruffled the top of his head. He groaned and became slightly annoyed that it only took a small tussle of his brown locks to look like its usual disarray. Eren took meticulous time to make it presentable enough for the meeting (and being reunited with his lover.). “Hannes, stop it, they’re almost here.” Eren shuffled further away from the older man and scooted aside to let him see through the arch window.

The garrison soldier, Hannes had a slight sway even while he just stood beside him, Eren wondered just how much did Hannes drink the night before just to reach such state. Although, in the early hours of dawn, he’d cut him some slack for even having the energy to haul out of bed, and climbed up the tower. So much changed in less than six months, and with two people that claimed to come from a distant country coming over with the intention of truce, he felt how things were moving fast while he still had trouble catching up.

“That one over there with your father is the person you mentioned?” Eren’s eyes trailed to the two men who were garbed in casual clothes with only heavy padded jackets and packed bags behind their saddles. Even from higher grounds, Eren could make out the man’s tall frame and long face. Eren's attention, however, is on the man atop a black stallion. The rider of the horse tilted his head up and met Eren's eyes. The gunmetal orbs stared at Eren, and soften by a fraction even with the permanent scowl as they waited for the gates to open. 

No one but the Royal family had heard about a spy until the tension with Marley. The calm before the worst storm that might hit his home. “Kruger,” he mumbled the name that he’d read over and over from the reports that arrived weeks ago. “I don’t trust him.” He finally admitted but did nothing as the soldiers by the gates granted them entrance. 

Hannes let out a soft chuckle while crossing his arms over his chest. The older man and Eren watched as the small group gallop further into Shiganshina. “I recall you mentioned the exact same thing to the short stack corporal earlier this year.” He blushed at the mention of his first impression with the corporal, and boyfriend. Eren's relationship with the Raven remained on the complicated side, but he didn't regret being with the man. “Besides, you might just be anxious since that Kruger person is literally prancing right alongside your beloved.”

At that, Eren shoved Hannes a bit harder, which only made the slightly intoxicated man holler. He’d known that his father had named Eren after an old friend. Eren never expected that the said namesake had been the eyes and ears for the royal family for decades. Erwin was curious about Eren's biological father, and a man named Kruger ever since Armin mentioned it during one of the meetings. A month ago, their squad spotted an airship that sailed way too close to the Docks. Marley never directly attacked Eldia, ever since King Fritz, the 147th monarch took reign years before even his own mother was born, yet the king couldn’t stop the hands of time. While the walls had protected them for the past century, the sight of Marley’s aircraft signaled what he feared as the end of simpler days.

_Present Time_

The timer cut Levi’s game before he could approach the other character. Levi saw a fair share of soldiers on the field in action, but none compared to the swift efficiency of the man that saved Erwin Smith’s butt. After the character replied to his message, the name registered into Levi’s data log as a seasoned Marleyan soldier named Eren Kruger. A strange familiarity hit him before a strange static buzz tickled his hearing._ “Le…..it…..re…..kay?!”_

He couldn’t comprehend a single sentence with how the words came in choppy fragments. It didn’t help him either as his eyes were on the soldier. Levi tried to coordinate Erwin’s body to move back toward the hole they’ve entered. The soldier managed to kill off the scouts without even leaving his position. Five dead bodies painted the streets and wall red right where Eren shot them down in cold blood. One soldier tried to attack him from above only for Eren to throw a small hunting knife at the scout inches before the sword met his face. Levi definitely felt it. A pull that had more force than gravity but as invisible as the air he breathes. If it were a better explanation, the sensation is like a strange longing that spoke deeper than what Levi could put into words. “Levi, wake up!” The panic of the voice that filled his ears vaguely brought him out of his daze until Kruger closed the distance between them. The soldier leaped off from the opposite building and swung over to Levi using the gear around his waist.

Levi saw the man’s lips moved, his vision blurred as an echo of a voice rang through his ears, a voice his heart had heard so many times. “Levi!” Kruger jumped through the hole and landed feet first before breaking into a run. The urgency in the other’s movements confused Levi, he was there, but also not there. He reached out towards Kruger’s outstretched fingers, but the world had gone completely dark, and Levi fell deeper into his own mind.

Throughout life, there were far too many memories that Levi wished he'd forgotten, and several others that fill in the gaps. Ever since his childhood, Levi did nothing but fight just to survive. He remembered bits of memories from living at a seaside cabin with his mother, the simpler times of them lying on a blanket with the soft sand beneath and the twinkling galaxy far above. The warmth that came from his mother hugging him close and his small fingers wrapped around the cup filled with brewed mint tea. Levi always felt calm being close to the sea, it reminded him of happier days when his mother was healthy, and escaping reality had been much easier. At the age of nine, Levi woke up to the cold body of Kuchel Ackerman on her bed. She died from overworking at the Dock’s pub, and his uncle, Kenny Ackerman took him a week after the Garrison found Levi half-dead outside the cottage.

Unlike his mother, Kenny taught Levi nothing about love and affection. Levi didn't even know he had a so-called uncle until the Garrison introduced Kenny and explained the neglected state of Levi and his mother’s decomposing body. Back then, Levi shut everyone out, his entire world ripped away from him because of a disease they had no money to afford proper medicine to. A mother that tried hard to give Levi a good life even as she worked till she literally dropped. Kenny lived far from the sea, or the sky for that matter. The first lesson he’d learned from Kenny is to survive. Kenny never showed Levi mercy from fighting with fists and kicks. Kenny worked on the wrong side of the law, and Levi quickly got that message when some goons waltzed into their apartment. The first time Kenny's enemies found Levi, it ended with him being battered and bleeding in several places. He’d been too weak to even lift his head from the ground. 

After Levi had been thoroughly beaten, Kenny returned and pulled his head up by the hair. “Look, kid, I ain’t going to smother you to get what you want. If you don’t want an eye shut from a punch, you gotta learn fast that only those who can punch back can keep their head above water.” He lived with his uncle until being old enough to live independently. The beatings, however, and the many tortured nights as a punching bag for his uncle’s debts eventually did help. Levi learned how to fight back, and quickly discovered how lethal he could be when the ropes and knives were used to his defense. The trip through memory lane got murky after Levi’s decisions to be part of a street gang, and later drafted into the military to escape imprisonment from a brawl with a government official’s kid at a bar.

Even though the shortcomings of his past, Levi didn’t know where the voice that called his name fit into his life. He had a dream of him lying on a beach similar to his first home. The sound of gentle waves that lapped along the shore on some intervals, he could feel the salty water touched the tips of his toes. Levi became unsure of whose arm did he used as a pillow and the blissful relaxation that filled the moment. It was only in that particular dream that Levi truly felt at home. A feeling he hadn’t had the inclination to call since his mother’s death.

The dream varied a lot, but he knew it as the same linear series because of the tranquil peace he felt, and that the scene appeared too surreal. The waters were a crystal clear shade of teal, and Levi could see his legs while submerged in the cool liquid. _“Leviiiii!”_ A person called him, but whenever Levi tried to find the source of the voice, it wasn’t there.

No matter how much he tried to yell back, or search, the one that called for him sounded farther and farther away. He never thought much about the dream, until that simulation. When he finally regained consciousness, the disinfectant scent of Djel’s laboratory had been replaced by the rich smell of tea. Levi tried to sit up but even the smallest action proved too difficult for him. A dry patch on his tongue made him want to soothe it. Then he tried to clear the lump in his throat when he heard someone gasped near him. The sound of the wheels of an office chair reached his ears and the relieved face of Hanji’s assistant, Colt looked down at him.

“Oh sweet lord you’re finally awake!” The younger man all but nearly sobbed before he regained his composure and wheeled his chair a bit farther away. Soon, Colt brought out a penlight and shone it directly at Levi’s left eye. “Right, I want you to follow the light for me, Sir, sorry it’s a bit medical standard for being knocked out for a certain length of time.”

The words barely registered to Levi, but he did what the flustered man wanted. After a few more probing questions, Colt helped Levi sit up and immediately poured him a glass of water first since drinking tea would only get Levi dehydrated. “Do you remember anything?” The way Colt asked the question sounded nearly as if the poor man expected him to have amnesia when he had only played LifeLine like he usually did. 

“Where’s Djel? And how long was I out exactly?” A digital clock illuminated on the wall told that it was already 2 AM, and that hunger clawed on Levi’s insides.

“You’ve been asleep for a good three days Sir,” Levi’s eyes widen at Colt’s words just as the door swung open. The two men turned as Hanji entered the lab, her attention drawn on reading something off the tablet. In the short time that Levi knew her, the expression rarely graced her features.

“Moblit, I swear the effects of Djel’s sedatives should have been flushed out his system four hours ago. Levi’s unresponsiveness might be a cause of many things! Overdose, overstimulation from the program, or maybe its the shift of his internal body clock. We need to-” Hanji looked up from her tablet, and finally noticed the very much awake Levi sitting on the bed. Unshed tears brimmed over Hanji’s eyes and surprised him as the madwomen tackled him in a brutal embrace.

“Le...Leviiiii!” Hanji sobbed into his shirt while Levi feared the snot and tears that would stain his shoulder as he struggled to shove the scientist off, but the woman held him firmly. “When Grisha told me Djel took you after I woke up. I immediately went to his lab. He used a higher dosage of the same sedative I used and kept pumping it into your system through the first two hours of the simulation. If I hadn't pulled you out from the gear by force, and got off the drug, you’d been comatose!”

All the fight left him while Hanji continued to hold him close and sniffed against the crook of his neck. He knew Djel got him to put under fast, but he didn’t realize deeply under he was placed into. “Let me breathe four-eyes, you’re already suffocating from being in the same room.” He grunted before the female finally relent. The relief in her eyes when she finally pulled away and composed herself. Levi could see the exhaustion written all over Hanji’s face from how close the weirdo held him. Hanji's face was pale, and her hair looked even wilder disarray, which he didn’t want to think about her personal hygiene being left unchecked. When they all collectively heard Levi’s stomach grumble, it diffused the emotion-driven air in the room.

Hanji stifled a laugh, but Levi still glared at both of them and dared on whoever would even try to voice out the beast in his stomach that demanded food. “Not a single word.” Levi hissed and only pushed the right buttons for Hanji to all-out a laugh that Colt had to step between the two of them before Levi strangled her.

In between the bites of an ungodly hour meal of BLT sub sandwiches and Assam tea, Hanji and Colt alternated on what had happened after Levi was pulled out from the simulation. Djel’s team had been happy with the results of the simulation. Even if Levi tried to ask the two about his progress into LifeLine? Levi would only space out from the technical jargon they’d hurled his way. 

“When exactly can I be done with this stupid program, however?” Levi cut to the point.

Colt readjusted his glasses and raised an eyebrow to Hanji. “We barely even started much of the heavy lifting Levi but seeing that Djel already introduced you to his own character. I’d say the pace will pick up from here.” Though Hanji turned away slightly from Levi, he saw the briefest moment of uncertainty in her gaze before it was replaced by brimming curiosity. “I’d been meaning to ask but since this is our first time working together and um…”

“Just out with it already,” Levi grumbled, he hated it when people beat around the bush, and not talk straight to the point and out of their asses.

From his desk, Colt cleared his throat and rolled his seat around to face them. “What the professor wants to ask is how did it happen that an Eldian like you, ended up serving the Marleyan military?” 

“Not that we have the whole racism here and all, but-”

“You’re wondering how I ended up being a soldier to being a lance corporal of the Marleyan Vanguard a year ago?” Levi summarizes the elephant in the room. He favored a long sip of his tea. It’d be a long narrative if he had to rewind the tale of his enlistment, however, he noted that his circumstances were rare, he could say the same with Hanji’s mysterious origins. “If I tell my story. You tell me yours, Zoe.” He countered and expected at least an ounce of hesitation, but the brunette surprised him yet again by jutting her hand out and grinned back at him. 

“Deal! So start talking.”

“As you may have read from my medical records, most of my memories are a bit hazy since my last mission on Paradis beach. My own recollections of the mission were reported to me from accounts like the Commander and a few of the elite soldiers of the Vanguard like Zeke Yeager.”

“You’ve worked with the Zeke Yeager?” Colt’s wide-eyed expression had been comical, but he didn’t find the feat impressive. Zeke was from a batch lower than Levi from camp, and while they didn’t speak much to one another or had the pleasure of being acquainted until Levi’s demotion.

“Sorta, he and I only briefly saw each other on the field or during the hellish dull briefings before we were shucking into the battlefield.” Levi shrugged and went back to his story. “When I turned eighteen, I left my uncle’s place. He wasn’t much of a great family figure, but staying around him kept me from ending up in foster care. I wanted to get away from him that he wouldn’t be able to leech off me or loan sharks at my throat all the time.” It had been no surprise that his uncle had a ton of skeletons in his closet. His uncle and he were never in good terms. On Christmas day, which ironically is also Levi’s own birthday, he came home to his uncle shoving a luggage bag filled with Levi's stuff in it. Then, Kenny handed Levi a bunch of documents and a passport. Kenny explained how he had a shit ton of debt, and that he’d be hiding until it was safe again. “You’re an adult now, but being related to me would get you killed. Get the fuck out of here, and don’t show your face to me. Marley’s taking homeless saps for a rehabilitation program. Go live there until I message you that it’s safe again.”

“I haven’t heard from Kenny since then. God knows what happened to him, but if he were dead, I’d know.” Levi could feel the pity in Hanji’s gaze as he went on. “Anyways, I happened to find a new life in Liberio. I started with just small jobs, like being a delivery guy or a cashier in a convenience store. Luck may have it, the military began recruiting young men, and with the draft having very minimal requirements. I was let in, however, due to the tension between Marley and Eldia, training me was a bitch.” The discrimination Levi faced could be summarized in a repetitive routine of torture, from the drill sergeant, to even his fellow cadets. 

He’d been bullied for his short stature, and even for his nationality. More than once had he been called a devil’s spawn, but if he retaliated, he’d be given disciplinary actions. In the end, Levi stubbornly proved himself by graduating from the military training program while ranking as the top of his batch. Levi learned not to take the beating by fighting smart. A skill he begrudgingly learned from his uncle that gave him the upper hand when it came to defense. Levi fought back without leaving bruises or fractured bones. Pinning those that tried to throw a punch at his direction helped him with hand-to-hand combat and made him stronger and more agile. “Eventually, the commander saw my performance. He thought I cheated or something. It landed me to be under his supervision and training for half a year before I was assigned to the vanguard.”

Levi frowned and tried to sort through his own recollection of being under the commander but found himself drawing a blank. He took a long sip of his already cold tea. “Sorry, shitty memory, I couldn’t remember the rest after that, but you get the picture.”

A thoughtful and immersed look remained plastered on Hanji’s face as the brunette processed the narrative. It frustrates him how there were gaps in his memory, while doctors reassured him that with time, those memories would return. Levi knew of the unspoken possibilities that he would live with these memory gaps. His only fear is of the other chance that things would only get worse. Would he develop Alzheimer's disease and even forget his own name? Levi shoved the thoughts at the back burner and just accept that he’s still lucky enough to walk away from the war while others didn’t.

“What happened to the battle on Paradise Beach?” Colt spoke from behind his chair. The younger male hardly gave a glance up from his own monitor, the sound of fingers tapping away at the keyboard filled the air in brief intervals. “The whole battle had the most casualties on both sides since two years ago when Eldia broke its truce with Marley.”

Though Levi had already tried to recount the events that led up to his accident as best as he could, the ghost pains from that time still lingered if he thought back on it. A repetitive beeping from the machine near Levi kept him centered as he stared at the half-empty cup of tea in his hands. “The mission was simple, really," Levi muttered, and his mind already became lost in the memory of that night. “We were supposed to just hold off the attacks by the Eldians until the extraction team came. A group was sent further into enemy territory to scope, however they got discovered. Our location was compromised. My group was at the Docks that time trying to fend them off and drag the defense long enough for the helicopters to find us. It was all going according to our emergency action plan, but none of us expected the smog bomb that exploded within the Docks.”

His arms felt too leaden from fighting too long. Sometime during his struggle with four soldiers, Levi lost his cloak and a couple of his men. The rustic smell of blood soaked into the ground and splattered across his clothes. Smoke rises from the burning vehicles and houses. He vaguely heard the shouts from the other soldiers in his earpiece. Something about an upcoming projectile. Fear gripped him enough that his body moved on instincts.

“There wasn’t enough time for everyone to escape,” Levi spoke more to himself, while Hanji and Colt leaned forward to catch every word. Fragments of the battle swept like a blur in his head like waves that removed all traces of his footsteps. He remembered running, shouting, and calling for someone he couldn’t find. “I...I told him to run, to get as far away as possible, but he wouldn’t listen. He never listened, when the first bomb struck the Docks another soldier was around.” 

Full-blown terror at the realization that neither of them would come out alive. Levi saw him from a distance, and a part of him wanted the other to run, Levi knew he would’ve made it out, but the choice was between Levi or him. In the present, Levi placed his head in his hands and squeezed his eyes shut, god, he was angry at himself for not even remembering something -someone that danced along the edges of his ruined mind. Levi felt like he continued to fumble around in a sick game of Marco polo, but he didn’t recognize the voice that guided him in the dark, couldn’t put a face to the one he desperately told to flee. When the thick yellow smog of poison fogged the entire docks, his mind froze entirely. He couldn’t grasp them no matter how hard he tried, those exact moments of the attack. Levi continued to shout, to beg even, but he couldn’t hear the words spoken by his own lips as his body shut down on him that evening.

“Levi?”

He collapsed like a ragdoll, and every inhale sent a burning sensation down his lungs. Levi couldn’t breathe properly with his eyes too unfocused, he stared down at the direction he last saw him. Then, the air changed drastically after several agonizing minutes. Suddenly hands gripped on his limbs, the front of his bulletproof vest. Don’t touch me. The thought made goosebumps rise on his skin.

“Levi!” Hanji shook his shoulders that caused the raven-haired man to flinch. Worry creased the scientist, and Levi realized his entire body shook. He lifted his head but then dropped it again to stare down at his hands. Both hands shook beyond Levi's own control, and even Hanji's touch brought no comfort. “Breathe for me Ackerman, you’re going into shock.”

“Sorry,” He tried to even out his breathing and get his composure back. A strange sad expression crossed Hanji while he watched her from the corner of his eye. Meanwhile, Colt shuffled over with a new cup of tea. It tasted shitty for Levi, but he expected as much from the store-bought green tea. Heck, he didn’t even drink that kind of dirt ass stuff. However, he allowed the warm liquid to snap him out of his train of thoughts.

“No worries, Colt and I at least got a better understanding of you now, don’t we pumpkin?” The blonde assistant stiffened and then rolled his eyes at the pet name. 

It had been a while since Levi shared his past, and even more surprised at the fact it seemed almost...natural and easy to share it with Hanji. When he first started his therapy, Levi barely spoke a word. He trusted none of the shrinks or the doctors when he woke up, and even more so the weeks after returning to Marley. Maybe his whole treatment program had some wonders to get him to spill his guts out in ease. “Your turn shit for brains. How did you barge your want into this research facility?” Even before he met Hanji Zoe, Levi tried to look into the database on anything about the lunatic and turned up with a lot of private files that even he couldn’t access. 

Hanji cackled like the witch when a loud knocking came from the door. Confusion replaced Hanji’s happy chuckles, but before she even stood up, the door swung open. All three of them stood up in attention.

“Commander Tybur, sir.” Levi stood rigidly and saluted at his commanding officer.

“At ease, Ackerman.” The older man replied with a hint of a smile that graced only his thin lips. Lord Willy Tybur, Marley’s Chief Commander of the entire military forces took up the position from his father nine years ago and had overall control over both the Titan Facility and all actions of the military even overseas. The Tybur family had long been known to finance a majority of Marley’s weaponry division, and also held positions within the ranks. Willy Tybur served as a fighter pilot and even did serve as a soldier of the vanguard for fifteen years. 

Hanji walked toward the commander and gave a firm handshake, followed by Colt. “What do we owe the pleasure, Sir? It’s a bit early to be inspecting the Research Facility.” Levi first met Lord Willy on his fifth day in the recovery room of Liberio’s general hospital. Not much had changed from their first encounter. Willy still looked like a blonde Jesus with dark eyes. The commander sports more on crisp suits than the standard White Marley High Ranking Officer uniform. The older man however still stuck to formalities and had the silver emblem badge of Marley. From history during his first year in the country. Levi learned that the seven sections on the shell stood for the seven heroes that fought back the Eldians for Marley's liberation. Levi wore a similar emblem on his armband whenever they had missions outside of Marley.

Willy’s dark gaze turned to Levi and like second nature, Levi averted his eyes. “Yes, but you could say, I’ve suffered a bad _jet lag_ from preaching peace treaties with other nations. I’ve only just got back forty-five minutes ago. Levi, if you don’t mind, may I have a word with you in my office?”

Of course, he knew there wasn’t any room for negotiations. As the acting Chief Commander, even Hanji had no say in it. He wouldn’t admit it to anyone, but his entire body still felt stiff and painful like every single injury Erwin took for him in the game matched with his. Levi hopped off the gurney and followed the commander out of Hanji’s lab.

“Tell me, Levi, since reports won’t cut it. How does it feel to play the game as the enemy?” Levi sat down on the high backrest chair opposite of Lord Tybur’s desk. Hung on the walls were large maps from neighboring countries and distant continents. On his commander’s desk where the three walls separated by distance and roughly estimated terrains of Eldia. Bright red push pins and colored strings marked the path of their troops. Lord Tybur ignored the systematic mess and watched Levi like a hawk with fingers entwined and rested against his lips. At first, his question confused Levi. Until he realized that his role in LifeLine was to use Erwin Smith, an Eldian soldier to fulfill missions, based on orders from Marley.

Yet a strange uneasiness crept in him that he didn’t expect as he pondered on those thoughts. “It’s nothing different from how I carry out missions in real life.” It's the truth, following orders from higher-ups were ingrained in him, it's what Levi signed up for even. Sure, there’s his past streak of rebellion from the time he lived in Eldia and with his uncle, but Commander Tybur nipped that side of his on the first week.

Lord Tybur hummed and sat back into his chair, there were classified folders on top of the map, and while it intrigued Levi, he kept his focus on the Commander. “I see, well, I know this isn’t much of a surprise, but I want you to pay very close attention to any shift in the programs.” He quirked one eyebrow up at Lord Tybur as the older man picked up one folder and turned his chair around, facing away from him. “I need full reports, Levi, under the discretion of course. Don’t let the science and development team find out of these orders understood.”

“Yes sir,” Levi automatically answered, and he could hear the soft chuckle from the man. “Permission to speak, sir.”  
“Go ahead,”

“Do you not trust Ms. Zoe and her assistant?” 

The question made Levi uncertain on how to approach Hanji with how Lord Tybur wanted him to carry out his task quietly. The question hung in the air for a couple of minutes, with nothing but the sound of pages being softly turned filled the silence. “Trust is such a precious word, Ackerman. Do you trust them?”

Levi didn’t answer right away. Did he truly trust Hanji? Just earlier it had been so easy for him to tell the story of his life. The woman annoyed him to no end, her cleaning skills were dull in comparison to how he cleaned up in her laboratory. “I...do not know sir,”

“Hesitation can kill, you know that Levi.” Lord Tybur stood up, and Levi immediately stiffened as the man rounded the desk and stood right in front of him. “You nearly died out there in Paradis Beach because you hesitated to leave before the smog bombs of the enemy landed on the shores.” The side of Levi’s head throbbed, but he kept his face neutral while Lord Tybur continued to speak. “I won’t be sending you for...disciplinary measures any time soon. It’s late, and you’re tired. But I want no hesitation or second-guessing on my command next time, Ackerman.”

“Apologizes sir, it’s just. Why hire someone you don’t trust in the research facility? Why keep them around?” 

There’s a strange glint in Lord Tybur’s gaze as he bore down on the raven-haired man. Levi tried to ignore the uneasiness of the dark eyes on him that was much similar to Djel’s when they first met. “There’s an old saying Ackerman, _‘keep your friends close, and your enemies closer’,_ and to defeat that enemy, means to understand what makes them tick. What weaknesses you can use against them. In this case, Hanji works with us because we both have something mutual in gaining. For her, it is a chance to conduct her experiments with the human brain that even Eldia could not give her. Yet that doesn’t mean I trust her loyalties. That’s why I placed Djel at the helm of this project.”

_Then what do you gain from using her?_ Levi thought, but the commander’s phone rang in his pocket. Lord Tybur picked up his phone and gestured for Levi to stand. “You’re dismissed. Head straight to rest Ackerman, from how I gathered from Djel a while ago you’ve been in the program with him and was transferred to Professor Zoe’s laboratory. Sleep it off and just go back to the testing after some decent sleep.”

“Yes sir,” Levi replied and walked toward the door, hyper-aware of the stare Lord Tybur kept on him.

“Oh, and Ackerman, don’t forget to report even the dullest detail of the simulations. I want to know what it's like to fight like an Eldian.” The commander added before Levi slip out of the room and headed straight to his quarters. All while dragging a strange heaviness at the thought of not even trusting the crazy maniac scientist he’d work with 24/7.

Levi slept like the dead after his talk with the commander. Since his whole PTSD diagnostics, he’d be lucky enough to even sleep for more than four hours. When Hanji began to inject him with hard sedatives to get him under the simulations, she had warned about the side effects. Levi's need for sleep increased in the past several days that Levi actually had an average of eight hours. The night after Djel’s simulation, Levi woke up with a very persistent ring from his phone and banging against his door. Rolling onto his side caused the rest of the comforter to wrap Levi into his own personal blanket cocoon. He somehow knew it would be Hanji being her usual self that annoyed the heck out of him. When the pounding on the door or the buzz from his phone didn't stop, he heard the muffled shouts from the other side.

“Leviiiiii wake up! Please, this is an emergency! Like, an extremely drastic, end of the world emergency!” Levi groaned, the lingering effects of Djel’s sedatives still placed his body in a near hibernating state. He wanted to lift his head up from the bed but had zero energy to do so. “Well not actually the end of the world, but more like my career is at stake.”

Hanji stopped talking for a moment, and Levi thought the woman gave up and allowed him a few more minutes to rest. He could never be more wrong.

“Rise and shine Grumpy! Your skills are needed.” The sudden burst from the door shook Levi awake, he still felt out of it. In fact, being pulled out of bed, half-awake, in his grey pajamas isn’t what he had in mind. He let Hanji drag him toward her lab just down the hall from his temporary quarters. Levi grumbled all the way and noticed the odd behavior or rather, the lack of it from the mad scientist. Even more surprising was the missing assistant, Colt.

“Where’s your glasses-wearing handler?” He joked as Hanji shoved him to the bed in the middle of the lab. 

“I sent him out to buy groceries, we have the lab for at least a couple of hours at best.” Levi watched, genuinely amused by how Hanji acted like a headless chicken, while she grabbed items off the cabinets. The time-stamped on the digital watch read 7 pm, but even Levi had to admit the small worry with how worn out his body felt even with having nothing to do but be asleep.

Before he could even voice his concerns, Hanji pushed him roughly to lie on the bed. “The fuck’s wrong with you shitty glasses.” He hissed, not at all appreciating being manhandled. Levi’s words, however, fell on deaf ears, and even in his simmering anger, drowsiness threatened to lull him. “Hanji, something’s wrong.” The words slurred as it came out from his mouth, and for once, the four-eyed freak finally looked at him seriously.

“Shit,” As Levi laid there on the bed, he felt too detached to everything. The world around him came in and out of focus, and even Hanji’s voice sounded distant while she flashed a pin light into his right eye. “Your body’s still not fully recovered from the high dosage of sedatives Djel, and I had been putting you through. I won’t drug you this time Levi, but I swear, just go into the simulation one more time and we’ll put the project on hold okay. There are some glitches in the game and I can’t be in the game to check myself since I have to be out here to patch the kinks. No one can find out the game is acting up so please just help out.” The worry in Hanji’s voice barely registered to him before sleep completely took over. 

It's the scent of honey that brought Levi back to consciousness. A smell that kept him grounded, that reminded him of home. Thinking of the word itself is bizarre. No place had come even of a margin to the sentiments of the vibe unless Levi thought of his childhood with his mother. Yet being encased in the smell of honey and wild berries soothe him more than his usual black tea. A hand grasped the thick comforter over Levi and the sound of curtains being drawn came after. Levi winced at the sudden sunlight that streamed from the open window, and before he could turn away from the rude wake-up call his mind finally worked up the sudden change of setup. 

“Hanji,” Levi sat bolt upright and found himself inside a decently sized room. The sound of birds chirping came from the tall window that filtered light in. By the window was a wooden desk that held several different kinds of cameras and lenses. A large wardrobe stood to one wall, and a door on the right, which Levi somehow recognized led to the bathroom. Everything about the room was new to Levi yet it all sent tingles down his body how familiar it hit him. “Is this Deja Vu?” He slipped off the right side of the bed and not even surprised to find a pair of house slippers already there.

“We don’t have much time.” Someone spoke by the window and Levi immediately tensed. The giant, Erwin Smith half sat, half leaned by the edge of the desk with a book in hand. Unlike when Levi first met the man, Erwin looked battered and bruised. The hulking giant had bandages wrapped around his right calf where the hook pierced his limb from the previous game. Guilt filled Levi but immediately shook it off since Erwin was nothing but a game character. The entire set up could only be a whole scene created before the next round. For what is worth, Hanji’s silence must’ve meant that the crazy weirdo had no other instructions other than finding bugs in the game. 

It's no surprise since the entire program remained in a beta phase. There’s always small errors and glitches within the game on its first trial run. He played along with Erwin’s request since it could already be a serious glitch seeing that his own avatar was talking to him rather than be him. “Right,” Erwin shuts the book in his hand and placed it back on a less crowded spot at the desk. “I know this is all confusing to you Levi but ________, you __________ here.”

“What?” Levi stared back at the equally perplexed Erwin, and the sudden cut between his speech.

The fuzzy brow blond grimaced, not as pleased with the predicament either. “I apologize for the bad frequency here, but we really do not have that much time to converse. So I’ll get this out in the air because this happened.” Erwin nodded to his injury and his sky blue eyes turned icy as it bore down on Levi. “Don’t play too recklessly Levi, there’s more at stake in this than just time pressure.”

“If you’re talking about your shitty leg, then I’m sorry about that...and pushing you too far. I didn’t mean to get you skewered like a kebab anymore than you do.” Levi countered, on the field, Levi knew such extreme injuries would hurt like hell, but he’d been running on both adrenaline and nerves because of Djel.

Erwin’s hard edge stare lessened by a fraction before a small smile graced his lips. “God, I _____ ____ Levi, but we can’t _________time. I know you didn’t mean to get me hurt, but if we’re to survive in this game. We must work with what we have.” A quiet knock came from the door got their attention. “There’s also someone who wishes to talk with you.” The door swung open, and Levi’s attention gravitated towards the man wearing the same gear he wore in LifeLine. The similarities were near-exact even down to the full helmet over his face. The other stood taller than him by a couple of inches, but with the player’s body donned in the same gear, Levi couldn’t tell who it was.

In a quick blur of motion, the man rushed Levi, and he stiffened at the hands placed on either side of his shoulders. The tinted helmet obscured the face behind the mask. Even with those in mind, being within his personal space should’ve angered Levi enough to punch the person. To his surprise, his heart even skipped a beat. “Levi Ackerman,” the voice behind the mask reminded Levi of a garbled and grainy reception from a phone, but the way the player’s voice said his name. Full of relief and a feeling he couldn’t put a finger on. “It’s been so long since we’ve seen each other.”

“I don’t know you,” Levi quickly replied, and though the other player tried to hide it, he noticed the player stiffened. With much hesitation, the guy pulled away from him.

The sudden loss of contact added the already growing guilt that he was sure as hell shouldn’t even be there in the first place. “No Levi, please just listen.” The other player held his hands up in a placating gesture, and it's then that Levi recognized the shift in his own stance. It reverted to fight or flight as the two scouts in the room only stoked the fire to his conflicting emotions, and confusion. “It’s me, Eren _________, and you________mission two years ago, we_____________each other from _________, we’ve worked together a lot.”

One step forward from Eren had Levi take a step sideway, intent to find a way out through the room if needed. The name resonated within him, _Eren, Eren, Eren?_ he mentally chanted like a mantra as if his brain short-circuited at him. In fact, his entire surrounding flickered from a pixelated mess to full high definition that it gave him a headache. “Hanji, your glitches are everywhere.” He muttered but only radio silence greeted him. Levi wracked his miserable excuse of memory for an Eren in his life. The player, Eren tried to place a hand to Levi’s cheek, but warning bells rang loud in Levi that he leaned away and took a few more steps farther. Erwin raised a hand up but lowered it as Eren shook his head at the Recon’s commander. 

“You don’t remember, do you?” The sadness in the other player’s voice was almost pitiful as if Levi’s to be blamed for the situation.

Levi was close to shaking his head to add salt in the wound when the briefest flash of recognition flood him. Yes, there has been one Eren that he’d worked within the past begrudgingly. “Kruger,” Levi found himself whispering, and a peculiar expression passed through Erwin’s features. “I knew of an Eren Kruger that used to train cadets for Marley. He….he's my supervisor on my probation period before Commander Tybur.”

The bland face man hardly meant something to Levi, but he had spent some time with Kruger, even if it were just a couple of months. Kruger and he spent plenty of time training, or mostly Levi being ordered around the first week. “No…” Eren said before his entire body glitched and flickered. All around Levi, the small room blurred in and out of existence. “Levi, you got to _remember!_ It’s _________ you promised that_________ I ________-,”

Eren's hand latched onto Levi's wrist and the Raven saw brief flashes crossed his eyes. Memories rushed through his head too fast. For Levi, the feeling reminded him of the time he tripled the dosage of painkillers to get back up on his feet after a day's training. However, he only got worse than better.

Whatever, Kruger did, it only worsens the pain that wracked his mind. "Let go," Levi growled and pulled away from Eren's grip. 

Kruger tried to grab a hold of him again, but a stab of pain had Levi staggering back, and he fell back onto the bed. Erwin and Kruger managed to get a hold of him again, but the pain intensified. “Don’t touch me!” Levi shouted before he tossed his head back as the waves of pain enveloped him.

“Stop, stop, please just stop!” His heart raced so much, Levi thought he was going to be sick to the core. Fragments of a distorted past took over him. Erwin lets go of his arm but Kruger held him firm, but he was too far gone.

He hardly heard the voices of concerns as the two stood on either of his sides. Primal fear took over Levi as shadowed figures loomed over him. Hands that held him down on a cold metal table, and the piercing agony that tore screams out of his lungs as he tried to squirm away from whatever latched onto his entire upper body. “Levi snapped out of it! You’re not ____________ don’t focus on the pain, remember what ___________ they ____you!” Erwin yelled over Levi, but Levi had enough. 

He had to escape, it was too dark and too much for wherever his mind took him. Nothing but darkness, and the inability to even move. Levi’s head hurts to the point he just wanted it all to end. Through the pain, Levi ripped the LifeLine gear’s helmet completely off his head, and the simulation was forced to quit.

Hanji raced to Levi’s side as the man toppled off the bed. “Levi, calm down.” Hanji did her best to keep the fear at bay but she knew that she overestimated the trauma of Levi’s own past hurt. The raven’s eyes were blown wide with fear, that Hanji wondered if the man was still with her in the present. The terror in his eyes didn’t stay however before it was replaced by intense anger. An emotion that is entirely on a different level that she never saw in her friend. “What the fuck wrong with you!” Levi all but roared at Hanji causing her to flinch.

“I...I didn’t mean for things to get too far, I swear. The whole reason I wanted you to see that test scenario is really for the glitches Levi.” Hanji ducked as Levi punched just inches from her face. His knuckles made contact with the cabinet behind her back. Up close, Hanji could see the swirl of sorrow, rage, and even hurt that were all targeted at her. “I’m so sorry Le-”

“Stop,” Levi’s voice came out gruff from all the screaming he did even unconscious. Hanji heard the door clicked open, and the face of her assistant popped up and took in the strange sight of the soldier and the scientist on the floor. “I’m fucking done, so don’t fucking mess with my head.”

In one swift motion, Levi rushed out of the room and slammed the door on Colt’s face. Hanji sat on the sterile floor, not even moving to wipe the tears that escaped her eyes. Colt came closer slowly and knelt beside her. “Care to explain?” Dear Sina, her assistance gentle tone didn’t make Hanji feel better, in fact, it reminded her of someone too close to home. 

“I fucked up,” Hanji admitted and wiped another tear that escaped her eyes. She had been too caught up with the whole goal of LifeLine that she forgot to put into consideration anything about Levi’s own struggles. It added more negative emotions to heave on her heart. She didn’t want to be cruel to him... to anyone, but especially not him and what he had gone through. Although, she'd crossed that line. “Do you think he’ll come back to finish the Trost mission?” Hanji mumbled while Colt shuffled to get comfortable to sit beside her. 

“From what I heard about the captain...he’s a man of his word. He’ll come back, you two just need space from all of this. You must admit, it’s already taking a toll on his body being in the simulation consistently for three weeks now.” Colt said as a fact, while Hanji rested her forehead on her knees. She thought back to simpler days, the time where they all didn’t go to hell from the war. “I’ll talk to him, he might murder you if he sees you. And Djel would’ve gladly planned your funeral.”

At that comment, Hanji snorted and turned her head slightly to Colt, the younger male gave a small smile. “If anyone were to plan my funeral, it’s Levi, and he’d been saying that ever since we’ve met.” She had to carry on without Levi in the meantime. There were others like Colt who she could trust. Hanji could just hope that by the time Levi decides to forgive him, it’ll be before the enemy made their own move.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun Fact! I actually have a playlist compiled that fits into the chapters and certain scenes. I'd gladly share it with you guys on the next updates to make the reading experience a lot more fun. This is actually just a snippet on Eren and Levi's relationship at the beginning, originally, I wasn't supposed to put it in there, but while writing the chapter, I wanted to place a really emphasis on the tags of the story :)
> 
> Anyways, thank you all so much for reading, leave a comment if you guys have any interesting theories or predictions of the story so far. For anyone confused with the timeline. 
> 
> Levi and Hanji presently worked together for a near two months, and three weeks of those two months is how long Levi played the game. See you all next time!


	5. Welcome to the Team

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello and welcome back to the game! Last chapter ended on a rather sour note, however bundle up under the pillows cause this chapter is full of surprises, and I know that on the relationship side of Levi and Eren is slow built. However I have a lot planned for the duo. 
> 
> Also, thank you all again for still being in the game. Next update may take a bit longer. November is the start of a busy season for me at work. I’ll try to squeeze in time to write during my days off.

<strike></strike> A grubby hand shook Levi’s shoulder that he groaned and raised his head up from the table. The bartender kept the tab open for him and sneered at his sorry excuse self since his seventh shot of whiskey. “Get out of here punk, I’m closing up now.” He grunted while picking up the glass Levi held loosely in his hand.

“Who fucking closes a bar at 1am?” Levi slurred. The world continued to shift at odd angles when he tried and failed to stand steadily on his feet. After his outburst with Hanji, he ran out of the Facility. Levi wanted to put some distance away from the lab. The neon sign of the open bar had been his medicine and poison because Levi couldn’t even feel anything at all.

“Just go home, you’ll regret the entire bottle you emptied since coming here.” The man chuckled and took pity and escorted him out the front door. Most of his anger had dwindled down by the time the alcohol knocked the frustration out his system. Levi never let virtual games affect him before, none of them caused him distress strongly as LifeLine had. He openly mocked teenagers that fall into video game violence, yet there he was, just as pathetic as them. Levi let his emotions get the better of him. Even in his drunken state, he could still vividly paint the picture of how he walked out on Hanji like a fucking dramatic asshole. 

Levi nearly tripped over himself while walking down the deserted streets. The occasional car drove past him, but if it weren’t people heading to bars, it was dumbasses like him that struggled to get to a place to rest. The idea of heading back to the Facility still made him hesitant. In all the walking he’d done, the soreness of his feet finally registered. He lifted his head and through the blurry vision, he could depict the hazy outline of the towering highrises, rather than spread outbuildings from the harbor area. He hadn't imagined that being led by his feet and not his head got him straight into the upper city side of Liberio. Levi spotted the waiting shed for the buses and headed toward it as the alcohol in his bloodstream left a sour taste in his mouth.

“Fucking terrific.” He said while he swayed on the bench and leaned heavily on the dirty plexiglass side of the waiting shed. Dimly, The unmistakable sound of thunder boomed above Levi, and he cursed his luck even further as the first drops of rain touched the asphalt. A portion of his sane mind still remembers that his apartment wasn’t too far from where he sat. The downpour only getting worse with his intoxicated state, Levi held onto the remaining energy he had left before he got knocked out cold from the alcohol. 

By the time Levi trudged up the steps to his apartment building, he was shivering down to the bone. His hands were frigid as he slipped them into his pockets to get his house keys. Levi partially sobered up, and glad that he hadn’t forgotten his keys, wallet, and phone from leaving. Inside his dark apartment, Levi’s tipsy state had him bump into every possible furniture through the living room. Not even bothering to flip the light switch on, he toed off his shoes and removed his damp clothes on his way to the bedroom. If he had half his functioning senses working, Levi would’ve dropped the clothes in the hamper rather than shedding them in a messed up puddled trail. The sound of thunder and the flash of lightning seemed distant from the heaviness that consumed him. No sooner as his knees touched the edge of the bed, Levi hauled his naked body under the covers and sunk into the land of dreams.

\-----------------------------------------

Most of Levi’s dreams centered on reliving moments in battle. Times where the sound of guns and explosions made his ears deaf. Over time, his night terrors sway from worse to bearable, and that evening, Levi felt stuck between reality and subconsciousness. It isn’t the dream of chasing an unseen person on the shores either. Levi could hear the howling winds right outside the window. The quick flashes of lightning were bright, even on his closed eyelids. However, he remembered those fleeting moments of Hanji’s simulation, and he opened his heavy eyes. A single and frail candle bathed the small room with golden light. 

The room was relatively a lot smaller, but it actually had a name in Levi’s mind because of the photographs that hung on wooden clips and ropes above him. It’s the old storage room he discovered years ago when… Levi groaned as the rest of the memory slips from him. Lying down on a flimsy mattress and with attention finally gone from the candle, he realized with a start that another body pressed close to him. Being distracted about the room, he hadn't realized that the warmth he felt wasn’t solely from the thin blanket over him, but the brunette male’s back held close to his front. If Levi tilted his head down, his nose would inhale that sweet honey scent that came from the mop of hair tickling his face. The same smell that he sniffed not too long ago from Hanji's game.

_ This has to be a dream. _ The conviction made him firm with the idea that everything about the moment was stress-related. Where reality slips and merged with his unconscious state. As much as Levi personally didn’t like the extreme intimacy of the situation, only a portion of himself found the close contact disgusting. His arms wrapped around the slim waist of the person in front of him. Slender fingers laced with his, Levi found it quick to submit into wherever the dream took him. Almost instinctual, he buried his nose into the soft locks of hair and heard the small mumbles from the person he held. Levi felt his lips lift into a smile before he closed his eyes. Basking in the gentle movement of the person’s slow and steady breathing, Levi tightened the grip of his fingers and his heart sped when the person squeezed his hand back. Dreams often had no beginnings and proven to end unconventionally, that it hurt somehow as Levi wanted the simple contact to remain. 

A satisfied hummed came from in front of Levi before the body stirred. He nuzzled the back of the person’s neck, and later a soft laugh came. “If I knew you were such a cuddler, I wouldn’t have whooped your ass that day on the field.” Recognition stirred within Levi. It's the same voice that called to him at the crystalline beach. He wanted to urge his body to move, to lift his head and look at the face of the mysterious identity that danced along the back of his mind.

“If I remember correctly,” Levi found himself leaning closer to the ear of the person when all he really wanted was to inch further forward, to put a face to the voice that stirred unknown emotions within him. “I pinned your miserable ass to the ground first.”

The person laughed louder, and Levi could only focus on the sweet sound as the person leaned more into Levi’s chest. “Yeah...but I still beat you in the end.” He said as a matter of fact.

_ Look at me, please. _Levi found himself thinking, and almost beg out loud before the dream slipped from him. He might never reimagine the situation again. “I would’ve won, had I known about your little ability. I’d say you cheated.” Levi muttered but his mind tried to catch up with his own dialogues. Words left his mouth, but he didn’t understand the context of it. The more that they stayed, the harder it got for Levi to believe it's all but a dream. And as if the universe finally heard his internal thoughts, the shoulders in front of him shivered. 

It only took seconds for Levi to realize that whoever he held had begun to cry quietly. The room itself grew colder. His eyes flicked back to the candle on the lone table and to his dismay, only a stub left from the white wax. A painful sadness clenched at his heart as tears soaked his sleeve. “I don’t want you to go,” 

Levi was struck. He couldn’t find his voice anymore, but his body leaned so that he curled closer to the stranger. The smell of honey nearly suffocated him. He felt lightheaded. The golden lit room darkened around him, and his eyes closed against his own will._ Don’t go. _ When Levi opened his eyes again, sunlight mocked him from the window of his bedroom. He laid there, curled up in a fetal position under the covers, clutching tightly to the pillow. A dull throb of his head the only reminder of his night’s drunken state. Levi felt his body too hot, and he wondered if he had succumbed to the flu from the haste through the rain. He winced and lied on his back as the previous events rushed up to him. Hanji, the headache, glitches, and everything was brought up to speed. Briefly, he wondered how to explain it all to the commander? 

The bad weather from last night almost didn’t exist, yet his heart ached, and the tears just fell steadily from the corners of his eyes. Even if he tried to reach out again, the details of the dream became a blur. Forgotten by the time he sat up and ready himself to face the day.

\----------------------------------

Hanji didn’t contact about Levi’s disappearance, he wondered if she gave him space to cool down. The thought alone made him feel guilty for the outburst. Regret already came as his stomach heaved, and Levi glued himself to the bathroom. Drinking through an already bad migraine wasn’t the grandest idea Levi made. Which was why he found himself walking up to the front door of Grisha Yeager’s home. 

The older doctor gave a business card in such events that Levi wanted to have a check-up outside their monthly appointment. Levi should’ve called in ahead of time, but like his sudden urge for a drink. He went to Grisha’s on the spur of the moment and just hoped the doctor was in.

Doctor Yeager lived near the city hall, giving Levi a clear view of the public statue. Helos, the noble hero of the Marleyans that led the assassination of Eldia’s Prince Sigmund, son of their 45th king. Prince Sigmund ruled over Marley away from his homeland as the country was his father’s gift to him. Helos were one of the vigilantes at that time that the idea of rebellion ignited within his countrymen. On the ninth year of Sigmund’s rule, Helos snuck into the royal palace, (which later became Liberio’s Presidential home.) through alluring Sigmund’s own daughter and bound the king in chains. By morning, Helos showed the people the head of the king, and the Marleyans placed Helos as their new ruler. The story told of how Helos took reign of Marley, Levi wondered still why the Eldians simply allowed Marley the independence when the royal bloodline was in danger?

The statue of Helos, standing over the corpse of King Sigmund with a spear through the neck became the symbol of heroism in Liberio, Levi couldn’t help but feel bad for the fallen king. Not wanting to linger longer in the open, he buzzed the doorbell and waited for the quiet footsteps inside to reach the door. “Yes, good morning, the clinic hours are...Levi!” Grisha’s eyes lit up before his brows furrowed in confusion at the early visitor. The doctor’s dark hair tied back, and the dark circles under his eyes made Levi wonder if he wasn’t the only one with sleeping problems.

“Hi doc, I hope you don’t mind, I book a visit before your clinic opens.” Levi shook the doctor’s hand while Grisha stepped aside, letting him into his home. Grisha wore a knitted blue sweater, a pair of loose sweatpants, and white house slippers. He dressed completely at home, and may even just got up from the bed. “I could come by a bit later if I woke you early.”

“No, I don’t mind. I'm simply surprised to see you at eight in the morning, or even out here at this time.” Levi heard the door swung shut. He let Grisha led the way down the hallway and into a room that he could guess as Grisha’s office.

One wall had glass cabinets filled with medical equipment and vials. Shelves crammed with books similar to Hanji’s however a bit more organized but still not up to the same standard of cleanliness for Levi. He tried not to remark about the fine layer of dust that collected on the books. Grisha’s desk had a computer set up on the side, and his usual leather bag sat on the recliner. Unlike most doctors that hung their accomplishments and licenses on the wall, Levi stared at the left wall filled with photographs. Many of the pictures took Levi’s breath away. Beautifully shot landscapes of mountain scenery, some photos of a starry sky on an open field, but one photo held Levi’s attention that he leaned closer to it. So near that his fingers were inches from touching the frame. A wall of gigantic mountains, the peaks reached clouds and engulfed the tips of the landforms. 

“So sorry for the mess, I hadn’t reorganized my paperwork, and you appeared at my door.” Levi heard the doctor shuffled papers on the desk, but Levi’s eyes remained on the eerie photo of the mountains. “Would you like some tea?”

Reluctantly, Levi left the photos on the wall and settled on the sofa placed along the edge of the red rug at the center of the room before Grisha’s desk. “Sure, I have something to discuss with you anyway regarding my…” Levi tapped his right temple, which made Grisha nod in understanding, aware of Levi’s casual headaches, and infrequent insomniac nights.

The doctor lifted most of his paperwork and organized them in a folder. “I’ll be back with tea. Do you want sugar in your cup?” 

“No need,” Levi replied as he leaned back into the plush sofa. The remnants of the hangover lifted on his ride over to Grisha. The harsh pain from last night got Levi on edge. He didn't know if he got better or worse.

Grisha returned, carrying two cups, one black coffee, and English breakfast tea. The flavor far from the usual Levi brewed, but he accepted it either way with the need for a warm drink. The two men enjoyed the blissful first tentative sips. “Did you took those photos?” Levi nodded toward the wall, filled with stunning photographs. 

Grisha’s eyes remained on the cup in his hand, a small smile tugged on his lips. “I’m only a medical doctor, but beauty is appreciated by someone special.” He mused, and laced his fingers together, then settled his hands on the table. “Most of the photographs were taken by Carla. She...loved to capture anything beautiful, really. But it’s nature, most especially, the sky that took her interest.” 

“Carla? ” Levi raised an eyebrow at the new name as well as the usage of past tense with how he described her. “Was she someone special?” He knew that the doctor’s wife, Dina, died when Zeke was only twelve years old. She suffered from a battle with cancer.

Grisha regarded Levi for a moment, and whether the man noticed or not, his hand went automatically to the cord around his neck before it paused and went for a cup of coffee. “Carla was...a special person to me, but it's not an affair Levi, god no.” He chuckled and looked at the photos on his wall fondly as if the man saw the sites himself. There was something more to the photographs than he led on. “I met her during my travels in...another country. She was a jack of all trades. A daughter of a bar owner, in a small town, yet on her day off, she would guide hikers up mountain trails. When we...parted, I bought some of her photographs.” Grisha’s words came out so soft by the end of his sentence that Levi barely caught what he said.

“Did she took that one too?” He pointed toward the photo of the haunting image of the mountain range that touched the skies. There’s a sadness in Grisha’s gaze that Levi wanted to backpedal his bad question. Grisha turned his gaze toward him and cleared his throat.

“No, its a photo taken by her son. A gift, but enough about a bittersweet tale, corporal. We need to get the strongest soldier back in perfect health.” The sudden shift in the topic qued Levi to understand, that the particular grayscale photo held a personal story for Levi to not pry into.

While Grisha asked Levi basic questions about his health and the pains, the doctor frowned when learning of Levi’s questionable actions last night. “Levi, I'm a bit old to be reprimanding an adult about the consequences of alcohol, but to drink that amount? And the heavy rain last night?” Even with disapproval on his face, the tone still carried amusement behind it. Grisha scribbled some notes down. “Let me take your temperature in case you caught the flu.”

“I’m not feverish, doc, all I need is a medical finding on these frequent headaches,” Levi said back, but Grisha had already moved out from his chair and went through one of his drawers. He went over to Levi with a digital thermometer at hand. 

“I’d let my equipment be the judge.” He placed the object against Levi’s forehead and waited for the machine to read his body temperature. “On a scale of one to ten, how bad are these headache attacks are?”

Without missing a beat, Levi immediately answered. “A good fucking one hundred last night after the simulation.” The thermometer beeps twice, and Grisha read the numbers before he tucked it in the pocket of his sweatpants. “You’re running a bit higher than the normal body temperature Ackerman, bedrest is a must...but since you’re scowling that badly, I’ll give you some non-drowsy flu medicine.” 

Much like any other quick check-ups, the doctor had that script-like writing that only those in the medical field could decipher. Levi tucked the note in his back pocket. Through the minutes ticked by and the nonsense chatter with Grisha about anything but work, Levi realized the doctor a funny expression remained on Grisha's face. As the eventuality that he had gotten too annoyed with Grisha’s knowing grin, he glared at him. “What’s with that shit-eating creepy face Doctor Yeager?”

“Nothing,” The doctor had the nerve to laugh at how irritated Levi got. “It’s just, you’re still here. Don’t you have work, Captain Levi?” 

Even when he knew the question was bound to come up, Levi had run out of excuses for not going back to the research facility. He didn’t want to face Hanji yet, and apologizing for last night still left him fumbling for words. Was he sorry he walked out? The whole scenario in the game felt like a hot poker stick being shoved up his skull. He could apologize for nearly punching Hanji when all she did was try to calm him down. The more Levi antagonized himself, the gentler the stare Grisha had on him. “You know, sulking out here in the city won’t solve your problems. Whatever is going on between you and Professor Zoe, can only be resolved once you’re there.” Grisha finished the remnants of his coffee and stood up, which meant that Levi’s time with the peculiar doctor had come to a close. “For what’s worth, I’m surprised that the brave, strongest soldier finds anxiety with talking about apologizing to a colleague.”

“Shut up, doc,” He muttered when the doorbell rang from the front door. It was still too early for any other appointments. Levi followed Grisha down the hall, and as the door opened, Grisha mouthed an apology. Levi rolled his eyes at Colt standing awkwardly with a paper bag at hand. 

The scientist looked younger without his lab coat or glasses. His blond hair tousled lightly like the man just hastens to dry it off, and hopped into the car. “Good...morning Captain," Colt toned his voice down a notch at the seething glare Levi threw. He didn't hurl his breakfast anymore but loud sounds still made him wince. "Doctor Grisha called in about you needing a lift back to the facility.” 

Levi then turned his attention to Grisha, who had been immune to the dark stares, some tiny part of his mind is grateful for the intervention and push. “Yes, and thank you for getting me some breakfast Colt,” Grisha grabbed the paper bag from Colt’s hand while the two made idle talking. Levi made his way to the black sedan that had the Facility’s logo on the side. Once the pleasantries were out of the way, the younger man sat behind the wheel and drove back to the home base.

What Levi didn’t miss from living at the upper side of Liberio, was the morning traffic. His mind too preoccupied with the photo from Grisha’s office, Levi began to hate the world for the sluggish rush hour, and the ever anxious scientist behind the wheel. At the fifth stoplight, more than twenty more minutes to go for the ride, Levi sighed heavily. He felt the rolling tension from Colt, and if Levi did nothing, it'll drive the other to a heart attack. “Do you usually drive to work?” 

“Um, yes sir, my brother and I live near the Jaw Boulevard, where the universities are-”

“I know the area well, but I don’t stay around. Too many obnoxious pricks from well-off families flaunted money through casinos there.” Levi paused when Colt let out a chuckle, that sounded uncertain, yet amused by his commentary.

“Yes, rich pricks hang out over there.” He agreed and took the familiar left turn after the tenth street toward the express lane to the port district of Marley. “My parents own a bakery over there, good business really, which is why I got known as the breadman at the Facility during my first month.”

“So you’re the bread fairy that brought some scones and bagels at the Facility’s canteen,” Levi concluded, and Colt nodded, the carefree side of the man, in his green buttoned shirt, black jeans, and sneakers. The whole get-up made the person appear normal than a young scientist that worked on the advance, top-secret military technology. 

By the time they got to the lab, Hanji wasn’t at the lab due to their whole nocturnal schedule. Colt filled him in one what happened after his leave. Back in the lab, Levi saw the shift on when Colt switched from being the bread fairy to the serious, and detail-oriented scientist. “Since your departure, I took the liberty to tell Djel and the commander about you taking a day off. While we fixed the bugs in the game. Hanji also wanted you to meet your teammates for the Trost mission soon after.”

Levi shrugged off his black jacket and tossed it to his bed while Colt remained by the door with a clipboard of thick paperwork to sign and scan through. “If I’m going to have a team. Where would they be playing the game? Also how many are they?”

He followed Colt back into the lab and took Hanji’s seat while Colt started his computer up and slid an organizer toward Levi’s side. “They’re all fairly young soldiers, but they’ve been on the field as a unit. Hanji handpicked them based on their potential, plus two of them are familiar with the workings of virtual simulation playing fields.” 

Scanning through the documents of the soldiers, Levi knew none of the names nor faces on the files. In total, he had four brats at his disposal, and the last one had nearly the same features as Colt. Levi read the name over and over before placing the papers down and glanced back at Colt. “You forgot to mention that your brother would be on my team.”

A shrug was the only reaction he garnered from the scientist while his hands typed away on the keyboard. “He’s only fifteen, but he’s skilled with games -don’t give me that look. The commander finds the situation interesting since my brother had just been signed into the military training program, and he figured since the whole objective is for future training. It’s a great opportunity to try it out.”

“I’m not babysitting snot nose brats.” Levi crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back. Colt’s equally unbothered look didn’t sway from Levi’s words, while he opened the program. 

“You’re not babysitting him, he’s a little bit like a hyperactive kid, but he’s very dedicated once you earned his respect. And trust me when I say games are his bread and butter. He won plenty of competitions across Marley despite my mom’s nagging of his addiction.” 

“And you’re perfectly okay with him being sedated for hours under the simulation?”

Colt’s hands hovered over the keyboard, brows furrowing at the question before a heavy sigh escaped his lips. He swiveled in his seat to face Levi and there, written on his face was anxious. “Even if I try to convince myself that everything about LifeLine is just a game, a full immersion simulator still had that small percentage of negative effects on the body.” Colt ran a hand through his sandy hair and tilted far back into his seat. “I can’t stop him since he seemed eager for the challenge, but when you didn’t wake up for days under Djel’s sedative dosage...I started to feel uneasy, letting him go through it.” Then a smile lifted the grim expression he had. “I trust you and your abilities on the actual field, captain.” 

Levi clicked his tongue at the spoken compliment and leaned further back in Hanji’s chair. “You still haven’t answered my question about where would these brats play the simulation.”

“Ah right,” The younger man turned back to his computer and clicked on a few folders. He grinned before shifting to the side to let Levi see the screen. “The commander provided us a private room that comes with bed capsules for each player. There would be a surveillance quarter in the same space, so the Professor and I would be close by.” The room’s size was similar to Hanji’s with the exemption that the helmets for the LifeLine were attached within one side of the capsule bed right above the pillow. Levi knew capsule bed hotels were popular mostly in Japan, but seeing it appear like sleeping pods in sci-fi movies. 

“When will I meet them?” He finally resigned that the fate of five other kids was at his hands. The whole situation involved being unconscious and play video games, but Levi never fit into the leader role. He’d sooner hand-wash his bedsheets every day than lead a squad. Commander Tybur lets Levi do his operations on the field independently. A squad meant that he should make sure a single toe wouldn’t be out of line or a mere sneeze wouldn’t jeopardize the given assignment. 

“That is for Professor Hanji to decide,” Colt said with an apologetic smile, and Levi remembered he still owed the science nut his own sorry from last night. “She’ll be in by 6pm later, just take it easy for now Captain Levi, I still have a lot of debugging to do.”

Levi let him be with his relationship with the computer and went back to his own quarters. His brain, far from exhaustion, and the flu medicine to drink after each meal, meant that Levi had more free time than he wanted. The metal arm didn’t creak as much as before when Grisha fixed it. Levi felt his muscles were going to be lax and useless when all he did was shit, sleep and eat. _ What the heck is happening to me? _ The thought had long been the ever-present question since he signed up for working with Hanji.

He didn’t blame the mad scientist, however, as he shuffled into his makeshift room, he dropped his phone, keys, and wallet on the bed and turned his own laptop on to check for any emails from his commander and the reports needed to be written and done. The desk jobs never suited Levi, but with the Eldians, surprisingly quiet with no attacks to their warships. It had been a long silent battle on which side would break first until a proper plan presents at the government’s dinner plates. Aside from the usual emails from Zeke, and other lieutenants on the fields, the only email out of place on his inbox came from Hanji...simply minutes ago.

** _ You won’t pick up your phone, and Colt said you’re back in the lab...can we talk? Not in the Research Facility though, meet me at the East Port_ **

The strange request made Levi hesitate, the Harbor was just across the Research Facility, but the East Port is where passenger ships sailed for Paradis Island. The last time Levi walked through that side of the harbor, he carried one large trunk of his meager stuff, a passport, and no idea where to go in a foreign country. Levi replied on meeting up after getting some food in his system and began writing the report to the commander.

“Smells like shit and depression out here,” Levi said in greeting as he spotted Hanji by the edge of the docks, her legs swinging absent-mindedly while her eyes looked at a certain point in the distance. She barely even acknowledged him as he sat right beside her. The brooding expression became a whole new side to the hyperactive woman Levi knew a month ago.

The salt waters barely touched the soles of their shoes, but Levi couldn’t help but compare the murky, unclear waves from the pristine blues of his dreams. “Don’t you ever just had moments that...you miss home.” Hanji finally said.

“No,” The answer came fast at the thought of missing his uncle that got rid of him the minute it lawfully didn’t place him straight to jail. Marley may have its discrimination problems with Levi at his nationality, though Eldia had no place for him either. “I’m more useful here than in Eldia.”

He stared out to the vast sea and knew just beyond the salt waters is his homeland. The sunset painted the sky in rich warm tones, while the chill of the evening became sharper while they sat together. Having a childhood filled with warm cups of hot chocolate by the beach remained special for Levi, and it would remain the only memories he truly cherished from his home. Besides him, Hanji’s hands were wrapped around a pair of goggles, it had a thick elastic band that almost looked like a pair of the ski mask. “I sometimes miss Eldia. I have some friends there, but no one wanted to take on financing projects with me, and the type of technology I try to introduce.” Levi looked at Hanji, but she had her face turned away from him. He couldn’t tell if Hanji spoke the truth or lied to his face, but he did know one thing. Both of them were outsiders in both Marley and Eldia. 

“Is LifeLine one of the technologies you tried to introduce in Eldia?” Levi found himself asking, and the scientist stared back at the ocean. The subtle nod of her head gave her answer after awhile. 

“The risks far outweighed the opportunities in the eyes of the Eldian King. He wanted none of it, and well...no one wanted a mad scientist. I took my research and came here.” 

“Sounds like the current king is stupid.” 

Hanji laughed loudly on the comment before standing up and offered Levi her hand. “I’m really sorry about what happened last night. I guess, I placed way too much attention on a stupid program than actual human beings.”

Levi accepted her hand and let her pull him up on his feet. “Just don’t go operating on my brain, I’m already a mess as it is.” He joked, but Hanji’s face paled like he just slapped him before the familiar manic grin took over. “Come on, let’s go back in the lab and tell me more about these brats.”

“Oh, Colt told you about your team?” Hanji asked, and fell into step with Levi as they made their way back to the Research Facility.

Days passed, and as if the whole ordeal with the glitches were a thing of the past. Levi recalled, that the original Eren Kruger he knew from training, retired by the time Levi returned from the battlefield. For the character in the game being called Eren Kruger seemed like Djel had a strange attempt of humor. The Kruger that Levi remembered was a cold-blooded man on a mission. Ruthless to both subordinates and even enemies. Kruger never made Levi’s time in training easy. If Djel offered Kruger as a “friend”, he didn’t know how to deal with him. Lucky, or rather, unfortunately, Hanji had the explanation while he rode across the inner Wall Maria en route to Wall Rose in the game.

“Kruger is your secondary character, Levi, which means that you now have an option to switch characters!” Hanji informed as the switch command appeared on the lower portion of his screen. The limited-time that Colt had formulated meant that Levi could only play the simulations for less than two hours, and only go three times a week to avoid any more drug overdose.

It slowed down Levi’s progress to get two characters to Trost. The science team explained it gave Levi time to adjust toward using two characters, and for the rest of his future team to maneuver around the game. For two weeks, Hanji had separated the in-game progress between Levi and his team. At first, Levi didn’t understand why, until she explained that the team reached the outskirts of Trost during Levi’s three days logged out from the game. Playing catch-up to his growing to-do list of the game. He let Hanji chatter about the new option into the game while he steers Erwin’s white stallion along the path marked on the map.

“I thought Eldia would have at least a decent mode of transportation through their cities. Or is this just out of spite to do things on horseback.” Colt remarked, which made a short laugh escape Levi’s mouth.

"You two designed this game, this whole medieval acts is weird Hanji," Levi added while Hanji's voice filled his helmet.

"So sue me. The game was designed to be close to the actual landscapes from how I remembered it. I know a train system existed underground, but remember, this game is a rushed project. We can add those elements once this whole program is approved." Hanji explained while Levi took in open fields and deserted farms he'd passed by.

Levi thought about the underground train system but he doubted the Marleyans knew where the tunnels were. Marley would benefit from the information once they’ve breached Wall Maria, but as the military found no such train system, he wondered if the Eldians were smart enough to cut off the tunnels from the enemy. Cars were a limited commodity for the Eldians. Only the rich could afford it, or the government to use. However, horses were available for any social standings. As he pondered on that small fact, Hanji shushed Colt for cutting through her lecture on the switch option. “Alrighty, so in team missions, players can actually request to  ** _switch_ ** characters as long as both players agreed to it. In cases like with you, where you have full control over two characters. The default role for your secondary character is a  **defense** . Kruger would default to guard your back unless you switch. Make Erwin defense and Kruger be your main character.”

“Seems simple enough. So what about if others from my team ask for a switch? I don’t want to clean up their own messes if that’s the purpose of the switch.” Truth be told, Levi found the option a hindrance, or the whole “switching” roles a cheap way out if his teammates are stuck. He’d help them when needed, but Levi didn’t want to be distracted once they worked together.”

“Levi, were you listening to what I said earlier?” Hanji teased, while Levi noticed the growing outline of the wall in front of him, and sped up his horse’s gallop. 

“I was,” 

“To put it simple Levi, your teammates would still require your permission to switch characters. So it’s entirely your call whether you want to lift a finger to help them or not.” Levi let the words sink in before his eyes drifted toward Kruger, the character hadn’t uttered a word through the days of having done nothing, but race across Wall Maria to reach Wall Rose, and the city of Trost. As if the Kruger truly reverted to being a non-player character and had no mind of its own. “Got nothing to say?”

The faceless character lifted his head toward Levi, the brim of his camouflage hat shadowed over his facial features, obscuring it entirely before the man lowered his head again, and leaned closer to the chestnut horse. “I am only here to assist,” The curt respond didn’t come from his earpiece, but through the chat bubbles that popped up on the screen like an annoying text message. 

Somehow the odd silent treatment made Levi uneasy. The tension shouldn’t have bothered him, but it wormed into his conscience as if his sudden departure from their last encounter had been entirely his fault.  ** _A New Player Is Near. _ ** The notification flared to life as the walls further stood taller the closer they got to Trost. “You’re at least thirty minutes away at best from the Trost walls.” Hanji supplied, as the notification of new players continued to flood before Levi’s eyes. He’d have to ask Hanji once he got out to have a mute option for the messages.

** _ A Player Is Requesting for Contact_ ** . 

Levi pulled on the reigns before any enemies above the walls had visual on him and Kruger. They found cover under the shadows of a cluster of oak trees while Levi contemplated on the message request. He accepted the request, and immediately a voice came from the earpiece in the helmet. “Corporal Levi?” The voice that came through had a higher pitch of a boyish voice that dread filled him. Shitty glasses really placed a bunch of brats as an in-game team. The thought of having complete novices became his worst-case scenario.

“Corporal?” The uncertainty in the voice pulled Levi to the response.

“Yes, this is Levi Ackerman,”

“Ah good that, sir. My name is Bertolt Hoover. Just accept our invite and we’ll welcome you to the team.”

The name of his team that appeared on the invitation became a sign. His team was going to be a handful. After he accepted the invite, a group call connected with Levi. The immediate buzz of conversations through the line overwhelmed him. “I know, it’s a mess, but welcome to-” A different voice spoke, but Levi wanted to end the call already.

“We are not calling this group as Team Titans,” Levi said firmly, it quells the conversations of the others that were speaking. Suddenly, a low chuckle filled his helmet and he got a video call from another team member, named Reiner Braun.

A square panel opened on the left side of the blue-tinted screen. The feminine face with short black hair and Asian features glared back at Levi. A red scarf looped around her neck, but when she spoke a gruff male voice came out. “Pardon us, captain, my name is Reiner Braun, and this is my character, Mikasa Ackerman.”

Levi looked at the character, Mikasa curiously, his family name isn’t too common for a Marleyan, but then again, Braun played an Eldian character. Once the initial shock of the low voice spouting from the girl’s mouth, Levi sighed at the introductions to be exchanged soon. “We have a lot to discuss Braun, starting with why are you using a female character?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys like the chapter! Next chapter is going to be more on Levi and his squad. Music for Levi’s dream in the dim room is “Could’ve Been” by Two Steps from Hell. Link is down below for you guys to give it a listen. 
> 
> The song is really soothing and it's one of the several songs that describes Levi and Eren’s relationship. As always, thank you guys so much for still being in the game with Levi (not by force however haha). See ya!
> 
> https://youtu.be/F2v4TP4GJ70


	6. Monitored

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiya guys, and we are back to another chapter of LifeLine. Good news is that, I am getting a new laptop soon ^o^. I usually write the chapters at the computer I have at work during my free time, or on my phone during the long bus rides home. So now I can write a bit more comfortably during my day-offs soon. I know the whole mystery on Levi and Hanji the past couple of chapters was something. I got a lot of guesses about Levi’s origins, and my only hint on the story so far is that, as you guys might’ve noticed, Levi is not a very reliable point person on the truth.
> 
> Don’t worry, we got more stuff coming up. Also if you guys enjoyed listening to the music I mentioned in the last chapter, I’ll be dropping music tracks as we go more into the story. Also fair warning, so sorry for some typos or grammar mistakes here and there ><
> 
> Game. Set. Commence!

_ Three Years Ago _

Eren crashed into the cold snow with brutal force that it knocked the air out of his lungs. Frustrated, and tired he stayed down as tendrils of pain ran up and down his back, Eren winced and tried to regrouped his thoughts, and his ears picked up the shouts of his friends coming closer. “Eren! Are you alright?” Historia yelled. _ Wasn’t it obvious from the shredded treetops? _He thought as the parachute hung limp on the branches of the trees. Eren sawed off the harnesses that dug into his skin when the fabric of the parachute got stuck. 

“Over here!” Eren shouted back, spotting the viridian cloaks of the Survey Corps from a distance. Several horses spurred toward his direction while he brushed off the snow from his thick padded jacket. Historia and Connie were the first to reach him with their towering Elks. Around Connie's neck was a pair of binoculars that got Eren’s immediate attention.

“Fuck! the camera!” Eren swung his backpack to his front, and with fumbling fingers, he pulled out his equipment. The crash landing must’ve knocked his brains out because he forgot the main reason he even flew all the way up to Colossal’s Peaks. 

Connie dismounted from his Elk, a wide grin plastered on his face while he took a deep inhale of the chilling air. “Man, it’s good to be back at Colossal Peaks.” He stretched his arms out, under the heavy black padded coats, though Connie’s fingertips barely poked out from the sleeves. Historia frowned and tightened her grip on the reins. Similar to Eren, who was far more familiar with the northern lands of Eldia, anything could be lurking around the frosted grounds. 

“This isn’t a field trip Connie, we’re here to mark a path, Eren just...dropped by.” Historia and Connie both turned to the shrill sound of a whistle while Eren’s hands finally wrapped around the secured bundle of cloth wedged between his other surveillance equipment and hiking gear. 

Eren’s airplane barely reached half of the journey up Colossal Peaks, but he already knew that it was a fool’s mission. Commander Pixis wanted to test if it were still an option. No one could climb those nine titanic mountains without freezing to death, or past out from the thin level of oxygen the higher the altitude. He did, however, enjoyed the flight, a part of him hoped to get a view of the ancient kingdom and get a picture, but the plane’s engine freezing over trampled his plans. He exhaled after uncovering his prized professional camera, free from damage or cracked lens.

“Nothing’s broken,” Eren muttered the assurance more to himself before he straightened up. 

“Looks like flying is not an option,” Historia noted, but only grim displeasure filled her tiny voice. 

Eren lifted the camera to his eyes and took quick photos of the landscape they were in. He couldn’t deny that while he feared the towering mountains, they held a solitude beauty. After a couple more shots he let the strap hung around his neck. Using a plane had been a far option in any book. He didn’t like the idea anymore about sending builders to create a safer path. “Old mountains carry the scariest secrets.” He found himself whispering as if the trees could hear his words.

“True, but I would love to visit these holy lands.” A whimsical sing-song voice spoke that Eren and his friends turn to the approaching veteran scouts. Many of them hadn’t ventured through Colossal Peaks, didn’t know of the dark tales that spun the superstitious beliefs of the mountain dwellers. The man, Father Cormus, was one of the Wall Priests who came along with Commander Erwin and Pixis. Eren didn’t like the hungry gleam in the priest’s face. He avoided much of the religious men that raved about the nine mountains. Eren’s just thankful that much of his background is under strict secrecy that only Erwin and his close friends knew about his relationship with northern Eldia.

Erwin sat high above his white warhorse, Burick, like the rest of the Scouts, the commander wore the green cloak over a black padded thermal jacket. The icy blue eyes pinned on Eren before it turned toward their guest. “As you see Father Cormus, the only sure way toward the destination is through the Bifrost. With the weather being unstable as it is this time of year. I won’t risk my men to guide you.”

“Nor will I spare a few of my own men on such mission through the mountains, this close to winter.” Commander Pixis added. The elder man’s ears and cheeks were rosy red from the cold and the gin in his bloodstream. The priest didn’t seem at all bothered by the hitch in his schemes.

“Indeed, we shall just wait for warmer days, I will report to the King about the future expedition, Commander Smith.” The words filled most of the scouts with dread. The priest spurred his horseback to the narrow way down the mountain and smiled toward the two leaders. “I’ll see you both at the Yuletide Feast! We have special guests coming from Marley!”

“Ain’t that a black cat is thrown into a mixing pot of bad luck,” Hannes said as he struggled to move through the thick layers of snow. Eren swore that the man’s feet made heavy footfalls through the white fields. The old Garrison soldier had been a long friend of his mother ever since they settled in Shiganshina. When Eren voiced his burning desire to be part of the Survey Corps, his mother was far from thrilled. It took months of convincing from him, and Hannes guarantee that being a scout was a boring job. He owed it to Hannes that he became a scout in the first place. “Eren, are you alright? You seem out of it.”

Hannes ruffled Eren’s hair with his knuckle, which Eren soon ducked away before glaring back at him. “What are you doing here?” 

“Well, Commander Pixis wanted me along to see if digging through ice is worth it.”

“Not this coming winter,” Eren mumbled as Connie maneuvered his Elk. “I’m riding with you?”

“Would you rather hike up to get the scrap metal remains of your plane?” Connie countered. The Elk turned its large head toward Eren and began to nibble on his hair.

“It wants to eat me.” He tried to move away from the large animal, but it only made his friends laugh louder.

Even the two commanders found the scene amusing. Erwin broke the merriment by clearing his throat, and the cadets turned towards him. “We all need to head back down while the sun is still high in the sky. I also expect full reports on this excursion, and Eren,” The young scout gave a salute. “I have much to discuss with you once we get back to Trost. We’ll be welcoming some soldiers from Marley, and one of them in particular, I want you to keep an eye on.”

Eren hated how the commander knew how to pull on his curiosity to agree to almost anything. After he hoisted himself up on the saddle behind Connie. The way back down the snowy trail gave him time to think about what he knew of the neighboring country. Marley, a country Eren knew nothing about until he had formally studied in school with Armin and Mikasa. He learned about the history of the blood bath between the two countries, and how their king had taken charge to keep Eldia from falling to ruins. At the turn of the century, Marley gained their independence, and the two countries have tried to bridge a peace treaty. Everything about the peace was fragile, even the agreement of having joint training with their military forces. Eren’s own standings within the Survey Corps is already just as precarious. He kept his head low or people would ask him questions. “I’m listening, sir.” Eren finally answered, and his commander nodded. 

If only he knew that his life would drastically change once he got back to Trost.

—————————————

  
  
  


“Where’s Shitty Four-eyes?” Levi demanded as Colt joined the rest of their little group in a new part of the technology department. Simulation room 104A belonged to Hanji, while Djel got room 104B. The two groups agreed that between the advanced weaponry department and the medical studies, there’s limited space to push all the necessary equipment into a single room. Hanji, particularly, didn’t like the idea of sharing the same space as Djel after nearly overdosing Levi with sedatives.

All five players formed a wide circle at the surveillance room of 104A with dozens of monitor screens arranged behind him. The setup reminded him of those forced meetings of strangers that talked about bizarre hobbies, or worse, an intervention, for whatever sins their little group made. He couldn’t help but assess his new team. The youngest, a boy in a casual pale blue shirt, black jeans, and sneakers sat to Levi’s right. Colt’s younger brother, had shaggy blond hair, and large blue eyes, he looked every bit of a kid still shy away from hitting puberty in Levi’s eyes. To his right was the face behind the female character, Mikasa Ackerman. The soldier had an air to him of quiet confidence, as well as keen observant eyes. He and the other two soldiers wore a black shirt with the crest of Marley on the front pocket, complemented with navy pants, and a dark jacket. All three had the same honed disciplined of military training, and there in the soldiers’ hard eyes were those that Levi could close to describe as war survivors. He began to understand that these cadets had seen and faced bloodshed.

The head scientists of the LifeLine project briefed Commander Tybur about the soon simulation of an attack at Trost causing the simulation to be cut short. Colt closed the door behind him and grinned. He sat down on the only vacant seat left in the room. “She’s still at the meeting.” Colt took out his phone, gave it a brief glance before acknowledging Levi. “Right, so, um, let's start this quick meeting.”

“But I already know you,” The youngest of the group, a boy with large eyes and lean body whined. He had the same features as Colt, with the only difference being the boy's curious blue eyes and timid smile. Levi occasionally glanced at Colt's sibling, yet he couldn’t phantom the drawn pull to the young boy. The brat had a timidness, but there’s also gentleness and warmth on his features that strum a familiarness he couldn’t place a finger on. 

Colt whacked the boy lightly at the back of his head with the clipboard. “Introduce yourself,” 

The kid pouted, and glance at the rest of the soldiers. He straightened his back on the seat and spoke. “My name is Falco Grice. I’m fifteen, and under the Marley Military training program.”

Levi couldn’t help the sigh that escaped his lips. While he had been briefed about having to deal with fresh soldiers, it still bothered him how Falco is literally a minor. Nevertheless, the cadet had that glint in his eyes that Levi saw often to all new soldiers back on the field. Adoration and awe; two things that Levi ignored instantly. The rest of the squad wasn't too bothered at the information with how they had worked together in the past. The tallest of the group, Bertolt Hoover had the height similar to a tree that could Levi only reached up to the cadet's shoulder. Bertolt noticed the pointed stare and stiffened before he gave a brief salute. “Bertolt Hoover, twenty-three years old, and a member of Squad Cartel.” The brunet said while standing. Levi raised a brow in surprise. 

Squad Cartel, a squadron that Levi knew was part of protecting the cargo and supplies of Marley on the battlefield. They handled armored vehicles, and fight from tanks. Colt then nodded toward the brutish built soldier of the group that had a cocky grin on his face. After Bertolt sat down, the muscled hulk stood and jutted a thumb to his chest. “My name is Reiner Braun, twenty-three years old, and like Bertolt, Squad Cartel.” 

Wedged between the two giants was the person Levi struck as lethal. From how the female played of the relaxed posture while sitting, Levi could tell that she could strike at any given cue of danger. The deadly calm on her expression gave nothing away. He was positive that the girl trained for combat. She stood, with a bored expression never wavering while her companions talked. Even keeping a piercing eye-contact with Levi and spoke. “Annie Leonhearth. Twenty-two. Squad Berserker.” Falco stumbled back in his seat at the curt words before his jaw hung open in pure surprise.

“No way, Squad Berserker is part of the Zeke Yeager’s unit. They handle undercover missions and even fight alongside the vanguard.” He spouted and nudged his brother on the side, which only earned him another tap at the back of the head. Even without the young scientist having to directly say it to Levi, he knew that he and Hanji had done a passable job to gather a team for him.

Four heads turned toward Levi, expecting grand words of encouragement. The raven only crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back on the chair. “Levi Ackerman, twenty-nine, Lance Corporal.” Only Falco appeared confused by the title, which Colt quickly explained to his sibling what it meant.

“Lance Corporal means that they are the head squad leader on attacks in the field of battle.”

“Which is why he’s known as Marley’s Strongest Soldier.” Braun supplied. Though the three older soldiers must’ve heard about the ridiculous far fetched stories about him when he’d only just acted out of duty in battle.

“Now, to make this brief since it’s already forty-five minutes past two in the morning. As Professor Zoe and I discussed with all of you individually. Project LifeLine deals with a full immersion game simulation that places individuals in a battle, close enough to the reality of war. There are no save points, and if your character dies in battle, you are officially out, that is unless you have a secondary character.” Colt reminded everyone, and immediately his brother raised a hand like it was a classroom lecture.

“I don’t understand why we can’t recover our characters once they died, it sounds like we only have one chance at it.”

“That’s life kiddo,” Levi remarked, and the brat only shrugged his shoulders while his brother chuckled and continued with the briefing.

“Now that all your avatars are in one playing field. It's time to jump into the next phase of the simulation. Professor Zoe and I scheduled it the day after tomorrow. Before that, you guys can take that time to recharge and make a plan. Also, Captain Ackerman here will be your squad leader within the game.” Levi tried to elbow Colt on the side, but he sidestepped him quickly enough. All attention went to Levi and turned to a familiar situation during war meetings. Public speaking is one of the few things he didn't have a good grasp on. In more times than none, his candor way of speaking got him in trouble. When push comes to shove, he just let others, like Commander Tybur or Zeke Yeager, do the talking for their cadets. He threw one last murderous glare to Colt and said the first thing that came to mind.

“I expect you all here at nine in the evening. We’re going to take over Trost before the timer ends, and if any of you failed to cross into the city before time runs out. You are out of the team.” He said pointedly, and while he expected frustration or dislike from his new team members. Levi instead got a loud chorus of ‘yes sir’. A brief sense of deja vu overcame him, but then he shook the feeling off. Everything boils down to the fact that it was all a game only. It isn't about being thrown into a war-torn country ready to march to hell with him.

The meeting with the commander always left Hanji on edge. Even after the year, she spent within Liberio. She never fully relaxed. Ease only came to her whenever she came home to her own apartment or in the small banters with Levi. It felt like a norm something Hanji used to do, and a pang of sadness crept the more she thought back on it. The meeting with the rest of the LifeLine science team ended by four in the morning. She felt drained from the prolonged fake pleasantries and being surrounded by sadistic money-sniffing mongrels. Once Hanji entered the elevator and descended toward the familiar floor of her laboratory, she pulled out her phone and turned the flashlight on at the dark corridors. Halfway through the meeting, she received a text from her assistant that Levi’s own first encounter with his new squad didn't lead to bloodshed. She allowed Colt and his brother to go home for the night.

Hanji hummed to herself while walking down the dark corridor. Reaching the door that led to her laboratory, she halted, seeing the faint light that slipped through the tiny space under the door and tiled floor. Colt told her half an hour ago that he'd gone home after the rest of Levi’s squad went their separate ways. It wasn’t in her assistant’s habits to forget to turn off the lights. Gently, Hanji opened the door and peered inside. Immediately, she stifled her own chuckles. “Old habits really do die hard huh,” Hanji mused.

Levi slept on Colt’s chair by his desk. Her friend’s head leaned heavily on the back of the office chair, and the stern expression relaxed as he continued to sleep. She knew most of the captain’s many quirks and habits, but ever since their time apart and Levi’s time in Marley, Hanji felt so distant from him that it scared her if everything from the past would never return. Levi’s arms remained crossed over his chest, but his upper body slumped back on the chair. To anyone else, it would be an awkward position and a cause of stiff neck in the morning, but Hanji had seen it time and time again how her shorty grump slept in such a state a lot of times. Carefully, she moved to the supply closet and brought out a spare blanket that Colt used on her whenever she passed out in the lab. Hanji draped it over Levi and couldn’t help herself take a quick snap of the moment.

Hanji sent the photo to the person she used to work within Paradis and plopped down on her own seat. Eventually, she’d pull her tired body to the gurney they used for his simulations, but in the peaceful early mornings. There were reports to make that needed her attention. By the time that most of her updates had been sent and she cleaned up her digital trail, Levi shuffled in his seat and tucked further into the blanket. Hanji personally found it endearing but knew if the man were awake, she would be running for her life to call her friend adorable. 

____________________________________

“Are you in position Bertolt?” Levi whispered through the earpiece. On the day of the siege, Levi finally found an opening up on the defenses at the Wall. They hid under a cluster of trees that shadowed their position during the morning. Levi observed that trade was done during the evenings. and none spared a glance toward the horses that grazed the fields. Reiner and Annie filled Levi in on their observations while they waited for his arrival days ago. 

"Cargo trucks carry food and other raw resources from the village Dauper. A small settlement just north of Rose. Aside from the sentries stationed by the gates of Trost. There are eight watchtowers in total on the wall. The rotation of sentries is three times during the day and twice at night." Reiner marked off the positions of the watchtowers with stones scattered along a wide arched line on the soil. Levi's group huddled closer to view the makeshift layout of Trost's wall section. Reiner did his best to explain the layout by pushing stones or digging more lines through the ground using a twig. Levi listened attentively, a hand covering his mouth and chin as he contemplated the intricacy of their plan.

“There is a blind spot on the seventh watchtower. Just on the left side of the city, where the city walls merge to the main structure of Rose.” Reiner pointed toward the farthest left side of the arc he drew and crossed out the tiny pebble placed along the line. Aside from the city, most of the Wall’s length along the land perimeter is unguarded. Unless watchers spotted you from the towers. Levi couldn’t risk scaling the perimeter walls and trudge straight through the wilderness. It may have all been a game, but one thing Levi realized through the wild ride between Maria and Rose, are the horse’s energy depletes fast the longer they rode through the nights. Even their character’s own discomforts washed through Levi’s own body. Having no save points, Levi didn’t like to restart the game once Erwin was killed. 

For his plan to work, he’d have to make use of the time where all the sentries were focused on the on-coming supply trucks, and the interval before the soldiers finished their shifts. Levi heard the faint pants of Bertolt’s breaths echoed through the receiver. “In position,” He whispered, and while Levi still had small doubt on Bertolt’s skills. Levi glanced toward the other mysterious character, Eren Kruger. The taller male remained a mystery to Levi. Clad in all black, with a bulletproof vest over his long-sleeved shirt, a belt strapped with the same vertical maneuver gear blades and grips. Unlike before, the rifle he used to save Erwin was gone, replaced by daggers sheathed at the back. Bertolt had his own firearms, but with the limited ammo, Levi knew reloading would’ve been a pain in the ass if the Eldians outnumbered them. His number one priority was to replenish any supplies and firearms they had. Thick steel-toed boots were laced up till below Kruger's knees. No doubt in Levi’s mind that Kruger hid another blade within the boots.

Kruger stood right by Erwin, though eyebrows stood taller than him. Levi wished he could somehow glean into what the character behind the mask looked like. Levi’s own recollection of the older trainer was different from the one in the game. Could it be that the Kruger in the game was a younger version of the famed soldier? The infamous Marley agent called the Owl, known for sniffing out Eldian gangs within Liberio? The Kruger leaned back against the tree, and if Levi didn’t know better, Kruger stood as still as a statue. 

“In position.” Annie’s voice brought Levi back to the present. The line of cargo trucks moved through the beaten path, toward the gates. From where he stood, the foliage of the scrubs helped hide most of their gear. Above him, the leaves rustled in time with the gentle wind. Masking the movement, Reiner made it to his own position on the tree. If it were Levi’s real body, he would’ve swapped with Reiner’s female avatar Mikasa for the main plan, but with Erwin’s injured leg that still needed days to heal. Levi couldn’t trust his avatar to move the way he wanted. 

“On my signal,” Levi whispered as the trucks nearly passed by where he was. He rested his left hand on the vertical maneuver gear’s handle, behind him, Kruger stiffened but otherwise made no movement without Levi’s cue. “Now.” Levi breathed as the whole thick branches above Levi shook violently with Reiner’s launching.

The grappling hook from the gear struck deep into the side of the truck as Reiner pulled toward it. A startled yelp came from the driver, and the vehicle swerved from the sudden slamming weight on its side. Reiner’s avatar gave him the advantage when it came to agility. Levi still found the use of a female character for a male character a stark difference to Reiner’s physical prose. Reiner adjusted fast to the bumpy ride and use his hands to grip onto the door of the car. The commotion caused the sentries to move their attention toward the gates. As Levi predicted, none had made an attempt to shoot for fear of hitting the driver or the cargo. He’d guessed that the unmarked white trucks could contain anything of importance, and none from the towers risked igniting the truck if it did carry combustible chemicals. Levi leaped back onto the saddle of his horse. Reiner, on the other hand, kept himself securely fastened against the side of the moving car and tried to wrestle the car door open.

“Let’s move,” Levi said to Kruger, who only hoisted up behind Levi. The shorter man flicked his reigns, spurring the midnight black horse toward the towering marble, smooth walls. 

Levi remained hyper-aware of his surroundings while leaning low on the horse's back. He sped through the last stretch of land to the wall. The sight of Reiner’s struggle with the van had gotten most of the sentries to focus on the moving white truck than the horse and its riders. Time didn't side with Levi in any event so far, he only had less than an hour left to get to the wall or it's a failed mission. “Scout at eleven o’clock.” The message from Kruger appeared on his screen.

The raven’s eyes sharply turned toward the direction, and a male figure dropped from the tower with his green cloak fluttering in the wind. “Pick them out Bertolt,” Levi ordered, and as the scout had neared their charging horse with swords drawn. The sudden jerk of the scout’s upper body caught Levi’s attention. Crimson blood poured out from the two bullet holes that appeared on the man’s chest before he hangs limp like a tied up livestock against the wall. Bertolt had positioned himself under the camouflage blanket that blends with the grass around him. It wasn’t an ideal position to snipe out targets, but Bertolt did wonders with pinpoint accuracy as the soldiers neared Levi’s horse. None came close enough at a striking distance with a bullet planted through their heart, throat, or forehead. “In position.” Levi heard Reiner’s voice before the profanities of another person came through the communication line. From the corner of his vision, Reiner pulled the driver out his seat and the older man rolled into the dust and the truck picked up speed. Several armed soldiers made a defensive line near the outer part of the gates while orders were relayed to shut it down entirely. Levi would just have to believe that Reiner would make it through in one piece with Annie's help. One soldier rolled out an intricate net with barbed wired spikes looped along the seams. At the speed Reiner headed, nothing would hold him back but an actual tank.

“Breach the motherfucking wall,” Levi commanded and a dark shadow leaped behind him. Kruger jumped overhead, and like a seasoned warrior, he shot up with his gear, similar to how a bird reaching the skies. Levi followed soon after, while another, smaller soldier brought up his rear. Falco’s character is decades his senior, and older than Levi himself.

The name that flashed above the avatar’s head read as Nile Dok. Unlike Erwin, the crest on the Eldian’s chest was of a green warhorse. A man well into his late forties, Levi let the youngest watch his back. The contrast of a young teen using a middle-age character is common within games. Levi couldn’t stop the amused chuckle at the goateed man with dark hair. Nile grinned back at him, enthusiastic to prove himself in battle. Kruger is the first to intercept the top of the wall, he kneed into the chin of the soldier that looked down at them. In the same motion, Kruger twisted in the air and brought the other foot hard at the man’s back, knocking him completely unconscious. 

“Traitors!” Another Eldian soldier roared just as Levi’s feet touched the edge of the walls. Half a dozen Eldians charged at them, while the rest of their units were focused on Reiner’s truck that barreled through the meager defense at the gate. Annie already had a petite figure, but her avatar had a leaner and faster movement that like a blur she made her way above the walls. 

“Don’t daydream Corporal.” The voice from his earpiece sent chills down his spine at the stern yet firm command from Lord Tybur. Immediately, Levi pulled out his blades and held it in a more suitable way for him, the dull edge resting against his left arm while his right hand held the grip sideways. 

“Move out,” He ordered. Levi hunched down low, swung the blade, and sliced deeply across the scout’s midsection. 

The lethal dance of swords, kicks, and punches were almost instinctual to Levi no matter what form he had. His body moved on autopilot as it sliced through enemy after enemy without hesitation or doubt amidst the horror, fear, and confusion. Erwin Smith brought down more of his own people. In a strange sense, Levi realized how cruel the simulation truly is. LifeLine has made countrymen into an enemy, and although he knew such betrayal since he lived it first had at Paradis Beach. The expressions on the in-game characters were creepingly accurate, that it coated his tongue with a bitter taste as he tossed another scout off the wall. The soldier landed on a rooftop as a broken heap of bones and flesh. Once it became apparent that Levi and his team became a threat to the rest of the Eldians, the scouts began to fall back.

Falco was about to leap off to give chase, but Erwin placed a hand on Falco's character and held him in place. “Don’t, we are far outnumbered by them if we chase them through the city.”

Standing just steps away from Levi was Kruger with his back turned from him. Levi somehow knew that the other remained acutely aware and at the ready for any next orders. The sunset bathed the city in the orange hues of the fleeting hours of late afternoon. The wind grew chiller, and vaguely through his measured breaths, Levi heard Annie and Reiner’s questions for the next command, but Levi’s attention had already grown farther. Their mission succeed, they scaled the wall and drove off the enemy for now, yet a strange sensation made goosebumps rise on Levi's neck. “I’ve seen this place before.” He muttered as the chime of the bell that at first, he thought were to the alarm of an enemy attack, turned out to be a signal for retreat. 

“Your orders, sir?” Annie asked with a bit more insistence before his head turned back to Kruger again. 

Before Levi could speak, a video feed appeared on his screen. Commander Tybur stared down at him with a grin on his face that came out as unnerving than friendly. “ Great work everyone, but I might need to borrow your corporal for the rest of the evening to discuss future plans within the simulation.” The curt words bewildered Levi. He and his group did everything by the book; quick, clean, and precise. There would only be two reasons why Tybur wanted to meet him and he didn't look forward to finding out if it wasn't for praise. 

“I’ll see you all on the other side.” Levi addressed the rest of his team and logging out. Levi's last view was of Trost's sunset and Kruger standing with his back to him. Like many times before, he thought, why did such familiarity strike him being around the Owl?

___________________________

_ The sun descended from the horizon, marking the end of another long day. Levi stood rigid at the edge of the wall. He never feared to be up high from all the past experiences of riding airplanes and even jumping off from them. An unknown spell held him frozen. It coursed its way through his heart and filled him with euphoric energy. “You know,” He said as he followed the shadow of the person that brought him to the walls that placed the city of Trost far below them. “I’ve seen plenty of incredible views, and I must admit...getting up here, and the whole tour just feels...right.” _

_ Levi turned to his guide and only saw the outline of the scout. His cloak fluttered in the wind and against the setting sun. Trost began to stir to life for the evening, street lamps flickered on and bathed the cobblestoned paths with a pale yellow glow. “It’s a good place,” The scout said, as he walked along the edge of the wall with his arms stretched out, parallel from his body, finding his balance like a tightrope walker. Levi watched the way the scout’s silent steps barely touched the ground before making small hops toward him. “Do you feel free here?” He asked. The Raven rolled his eyes and sat along the edge. _

_ There's something about the brat, that it loosens up Levi's tongue and spoke freely of things he didn't normally voice out. “I feel like everyone is always watching me, wanting something from me, and it’s just...suffocating at times, but it’s the constant-” _

_ “Expectations.” The scout finished for Levi before laughing at the frown that settled on his face. “I can understand.” The scout said, and Levi would’ve told the brat how wrong he was. No one would truly understand the emptiness and chains that weighed Levi down no matter where he went. “Let me tell you a secret, I live across the mountains.” _

_ The scout pointed toward the mountains far north from Eldia. Even their location at Trost, and what Commander Erwin Smith said, the northern mountains could be reached at a week’s travel from the Fritz’s ruined winter palace outside the walls. “How long have you lived there?” Levi asked while the scout’s eyes remained fixed on the lonely distant lands. _

_ “A long time before I came here.” _

“Do you remember Levi?”

_ Scout walked toward him and sat down beside him. Under the endless skies, Levi had never seen anything more beautiful than those pair of eyes before him. Deep forest green eyes mixed with cobalt blue narrowed down at Levi that for a moment, he forgot to breathe. _

“Who is he, Levi?” 

_ Levi tried to put a name to the face, so sure that he could never forget such a kaleidoscopic gaze. Then, a smile played along the scout’s face that sent warmth all through his body. He reached out, only to hear one last word. “Wake Up.” _

His eyes fluttered open, and the smell of incense filled the air. The heavy smoky scent that Levi hated so much. It took him a moment to recognize the brown leather couch he’d been placed in, and the missing limb placed on top of the coffee table by his side. A plush chair was near his feet with Hanji sitting on it. She kept up an insistent tapping of a pen against her clipboard, and eyes that never seemed to settle on anything. Levi cleared his throat, and the bespeckled woman became alert and turned to him. A relieved smile lifted the corners of her mouth before she nodded to the right, further into the room. Commander Tybur stood close to the large window behind his desk. Dressed in more casual clothing than their last encounter. The Commander wore a pale green buttoned-up shirt and beige trousers, Levi mused the idea that the military heads had casual Fridays. Tybur turned toward them, and a delighted smile lit his face.

“Ah yes, Corporal, nice of you to join the living,” The Commander rounded the desk and settled on the other chair just near Levi’s head. Disoriented, Levi couldn’t remember what happened after he logged out from LifeLine, and the confusion showed through his face, that Tybur placed a porcelain cup on the round table and the smell of mixed berries overpowered the incense. Levi gingerly sat up and took the cup with his real hand. “How much do you remember Ackerman?” The commander asked, his long fingers went to Levi's metallic hand perched within reach from him.

“I...don't remember.” The words came out with uncertainty but his mind went entirely blank. He even wondered how he got to the very room the three of them settled into. “A huge chunk between logging out of LifeLine, and waking up in your office isn’t here.” 

From the corner of his eye, Levi could’ve sworn that Hanji’s own hands tightened around the clipboard on her lap. The movement may have been small, but to Levi, the fraction of motion had an undertone of restrained anger. “I see,” Commander Tybur hummed, and looked toward Hanji. “I was monitoring the gameplay from the observation room since the start of the game. Then you told Grice about feeling lightheaded, from both the sedative and the simulation causing your headache. Djel stayed to check on his own team members while Hanji here kept asking if you remember anything.”

Levi turned to Hanji, the scientist only offering a stiff nod, while the commander continued to speak. “We let you sleep here while we compared notes about the latest progress in the simulation.”

Tybur placed his hands on the intricate plating and gears of the prosthetic limb, even if Levi tried to gauge the emotions through the calculated eyes, but the tea did wonders to distract his thoughts. “How long was I out?” He asked after the soothing liquid of the wildberry tea went down his dry throat. 

“Only four hours,” Hanji answered, and let out a loud snort. If Levi wasn’t right in front of his commander, he would’ve throttled her for the indecent sound. “Honestly, Levi, you don’t have a regular sleeping pattern. If you weren’t administered a large dosage of drugs in every simulation, I’d give sleeping pills to regulate your sleep.”

“Shut it shit for brains.” He finally snapped, and a genuine grin appeared on Hanji’s lips while Tybur placed the hand back on the table.

“Enough of that, Zoe, I want them to prepare for the wave soon. Before the end of next week, and I want a full report on it at my desk.” Hanji passed the clipboard to Commander Tybur while Levi busied himself with reattaching his artificial hand to the metal socket of his arm. He didn’t miss the steady eyes of Hanji through the process, and he’d frankly threatened to break every pair of glasses she owns if she kept up her creepy eyeballing. Once Levi finished his tea, the commander stood and leaned closer to Levi. “Remember your task, and keep an eye on Professor Zoe.” Levi tried to stay visibly still at the reminder. He didn’t even need to nod to let the commander know he understood. “Dismiss,”

The gears in his head started turning and tuned out Hanji’s non-stop talking while they walked back to the research department. Levi pushed the thought aside, in fear that it could be true, but then, he also couldn’t deny that he wished for the theory to be right. As they entered the elevator to reach the lower grounds, Levi finally raised his head toward the small camera above the metal doors. They were always watching, he realized. “Hanji,” The crazy-eyed turned to him and miraculously stopped talking. “_ I’ve been to Eldia before the battle on Paradis Beach, haven’t I? _” 

He wished he could’ve taken a picture of Hanji’s bug-eyed reaction. Levi shifted to speaking in the native tongue of Eldia. The camera in the elevator didn’t pick up conversations, but he didn’t want to risk their conversation being overheard by other Marleyans that entered the confined metal box. To his foresight, the elevator did open when they reached the ground floor. Commander Tybur’s office was situated on the fifth floor, and the whole first floor became the hospital wing. Doctors in scrubs and nurses on their way to the neurosurgery department boarded the elevator. Levi and Hanji stepped back to let them in, and he noted the small grimace on the scientist’s face.

“_ Of course you’ve been to Eldia, you mentioned before how your uncle took care of you before coming here. _” Hanji countered but Levi could practically hear the falter in her voice. Hanji was hiding something from him.

“_ Don’t act smart with me Zoe, I mean, if you have any idea if I had been in Eldia in recent years aside from the previous siege. _” He said back, while a couple of doctors did turn to their direction and sneered at the sound of Eldia’s language. He didn’t give a damn anymore.

“_ I don’t know what you’re talking about, we just met two months ago Levi, _” Hanji answered as the elevator doors opened again. The doctors went out but Levi looked at Hanji critically, because he just somehow knew...Hanji just lied to his face.

He wanted to confront her further, but she beat him to it by stepping out of the elevator as soon as they’ve reached their floor. Levi wanted to reach out and corner her, however, he didn’t expect a strong hand that slapped him hard on his back. “Captain! Finally, you’re back!” Reiner’s booming voice came first before the tall blond kept at pace next to him. 

“What are you doing here early, Braun?” Levi asked and tried very hard to keep his voice level. To not let his annoyance seep through. His eyes remained on Hanji, who quickened her pace just to avoid any more conversations with him.

“I’m just in time for your party, that’s what.” Braun laughed as they neared the simulation room. Levi opened the door, and an explosion of confetti rained down on him. 

The sleeping pods were pushed to the sides of the room, and a long table filled with food and drinks was placed in the middle. Tapped to the wall in front of Levi was a banner that to him looked like a five-year-old kid painted it. “Welcome to Team Titans, Captain!” The word 'captain' didn’t even fit into the banner, and someone printed the word on a bond paper and pinned under it. The rest of Levi’s squad minus Annie grinned and clapped as he entered the room.

“Your team wanted to throw you a little party Grumpy, and we haven’t celebrated the launching of LifeLine, so, it’s a win-win situation,” Hanji explained, in an obvious attempt of changing topics. With so many people, Levi had no choice but to give in. He brushed off the confetti that gathered on his shoulders and hair while Colt took out a strawberry cake from the box.

“I really think it’s unnecessary but fine,” Levi said and accepted the bottle of beer that Reiner began to pass around to everyone except Falco. Being underage, the teen got a can of coke under the strict watch of his brother. 

“Say something inspirational to your team!” Hanji encourages, to which, Levi wanted to snap back at, only to see that everyone had already turned their attention to him.

“I know this game is just a shitty virtual simulator on trial.” Levi started off, and a few snickers came from Colt and Bertolt over Hanji’s fake hurt expression. “But this game might help future soldiers get a better grip on what war looks like before heading into the real field. So, thank you for being part of the pioneers of this game. Let’s all see it through till the end.” The rest of Levi’s squad gathered closer, even Annie, and raised their drinks. Levi soon followed, and a loud chorus of gruff cheers was exchanged. What Levi didn’t expect, however, was Falco taking a large swipe of whipping cream from the cake and smeared it on the side of Levi’s face. 

Being a pragmatic person to hygiene, he didn’t appreciate the gesture. “It's a practice to smear a piece of cake on the celebrant.” Falco quickly explained after the death glare thrown his way. Annie, however, took it in strides and smeared icing on the other side of Levi’s face. 

“I like this tradition.” She mumbled, and soon enough, much as Levi tried to dodge the icing tipped fingertips from the others. 

“Let’s take a picture!” Hanji announced while Levi struggled with Reiner pinning him in a headlock. The entire top half of the cake stuck on his face. “Aw don't be such a sour kitten Levi, you could’ve easily toss Reiner off your hairs, you like us.” She teased and even made an attempt on pinching Levi’s check when the Raven pulled away.

“Don’t you fucking dare Hanji,” Levi growled and true to her words, he did break through Reiner’s hold while the entire team compressed to look into the camera. “You are all a bunch of children,” he grumbled while asking Colt to pass the tissue.

“Leviiiii! Nooooo, picture first,” Hanji whined, and he rolled his eyes before lifting his gaze to her smartphone. “Say cheese!”

After the hectic start to the celebration, and Levi telling them off to remember cleaning up the room before leaving. Hanji stepped out of the room with a huge grin plastered on her face. The photo of the party brought back good memories of Levi’s own promotion to Lance Corporal. While it had been a rather quick and plenty of rejections from Levi’s part, in the end, he reluctantly agreed because of a particular jewel-eyed scout that had Levi wrapped around his fingers. She sent the photo to Moblit Berner’s email, her older research partner and remember the question Levi asked her on the elevator. “_ Levi’s getting better. _” She messaged along with the photo.

_ Three Years Ago _

He was late. Eren ran through the deserted corridors of the Grand Duke’s palace in Sina. Shadis would skin him alive for tardiness, or probably make him do laps through the entire width of Wall Maria. Commander Erwin told him of the importance of the occasion. Ever since he had taken Eren in the Survey Corps, the brunet was given tasks and missions that granted him access to even the Survey Corps’s air forces, which were usually given to the veteran recon squads. He would’ve woken up earlier if he hadn’t slept in, or if he charged his phone properly so his alarm would have woken him up. 

He ran passed the surprised faces of his friends as he tried to slip the sleeves of his brown coat. “Oy! Watch where you’re going asshole!” Jean shouted while Eren hooped down the stairs.

“I’m late!” Eren barked back and doubled his speed. The premises of Grand Duke Reiss’s estate had been a maze for Eren. Some doors led to another section of the Duke’s home, other times, doors went to massive ballrooms or narrow staircases. While the Commander wanted to meet with the Marleyans over at Shiganshina, along Wall Maria, the King insisted that the soldiers made the journey to the capital because of the King’s weak health. None of the royal advisers agreed to let the Marleyans enter the Royal Palace and thus the alternative being the Reiss’s family home. 

The sound of the trumpets reached his ears while he shoved the large oak door that brought him directly at the main stairwell and entrance to the manor. A quiet large party of servants, royal family members, and every head of the Eldian Military was present. Eren moved his way toward Commander Erwin and his second-in-command, Mike. All eyes were fixed toward the on-coming black van with the Royal Crest stamped on the side and hood. When the blue eyes of his commander noticed his grand late arrival, the car fully stopped, and Eren didn’t even have the time or pleasure to fix his bed head hair. “You slept in,” Erwin acknowledges without even sparing a glance at him.

If it only he didn’t easily burn beet red when embarrassed, so all Eren had to hope is that he didn’t look that bad. The King and Queen stood at the bottom steps of the estate, with crowns that glinted against the sun. King Rowan Fritz, stood tall, despite the signs of age on his features and to their right, the business tycoon Rod Reiss and his son. Garbed in dark green military uniforms, a dozen soldiers stepped out from the van, and to Eren’s surprise, a handful of the Marleyans was young, almost near his age from an estimate. “What are those armbands?” Eren whispered to the tall blond commander. A star at the center of the armband on the right shoulder of some soldiers. 

Erwin’s thick brows furrowed and a deep frown tugged on his face giving him a face like he swallowed an overly bitter medicine. “It marks them as Eldian citizens under the Marleyan military. They use it to claim their Eldian soldiers.”

“Eldians...as Marleyan soldiers,” Eren said, why would their own countrymen fight for another country? 

“It’s not uncommon Eren, people who leave the island to live in another country tend to not return. They take on different citizenship. We just rarely have foreigners moving into Eldia, but there are such cases. Marley just likes to put a fine distinction.” Erwin tried his best to explain, but the distaste at the armbands was clear. From the stiff posture of Mike, the bloodhound soldier shared the same sentiments. 

The King and one of the generals of Marley, a squat man with a smoking pipe at hand walked over and gave a quick exchange of words. Being too far from the royals, Eren focused on the small group of Eldian soldiers, when the small group turned back to the van. There was one more soldier left, and the moment he stepped out, Eren couldn’t deny how his eyes lingered to the last person to leave the van. Despite the short stature, the man’s stoic gaze and pale complexion starkly reminded him of his foster sister Mikasa. The raven black hair didn’t help but magnified the similarities. He crossed his arms over his chest and made his way toward the rambunctious group of armband brothers. “That, is Levi Ackerman, Marley’s strongest wolf.” Erwin supplied the name to the mysterious face. Liquid silver eyes stared right back at emeralds, and Eren found it hard to focus on anything else but the raven.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yup, shocking turn of events. Eren’s first meeting of Levi. The story just further thickens. Levi’s a real soldier of Marley, however his memory gaps circles around his time in Eldia. And where does Hanji fit into any of these? One mystery lifted but the fog still remains. As always, thank you guys so much for continuously reading LifeLine. I know you guys are dying for Levi/Eren fluff from the slow build, but it will get there. I’d love to hear your thoughts, and see you guys next time!


	7. The First Wave: Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How’s it going, everyone! Welcome back to LifeLine. There's been plenty of things going on from the last chapter, but we are going to be a bit more relaxed with this first part of the whole chapter. I will pick up on the speed in the second half, this is just a calm before the literal storm. The holidays are coming up soon, and this might probably be my last chapter before my out of the country trip. I’ll go back to my regular chapter updating soon after I can get all my work done before the Christmas break. Also, LifeLine has reached a milestone of 500 hits! As always, I'd love to hear from you guys, and see you all in a couple of weeks.

_ Two Years ago _

“Oi, brat, you’d fall off if you sleep by the window.” A pair of strong arms wrapped tightly around Eren’s middle, followed by being pulled flushed against a solid mass of heat. His feet remained hanging off the edge, but he couldn’t help the yawn that slipped from his mouth. He fell asleep while waiting for the sunrise.

Eren relaxed further into the all too familiar embrace of the Lance Corporal. The even breaths that tickled the back of his neck remained a welcoming sensation. After the long months of having the corporal near Eren, the stoic rigid ways eventually gave way to show a softer and caring side that he’d wanted to tease the older at from time to time. Last year was filled with intense awkward tension and a rollercoaster of emotions. Eren never would’ve guessed a year would change him so much. Saying that he owed it to Levi didn’t compare to how much time quickly caught up with him. He felt safe, and for once, treated equally within society, or at the same level as any of them. Soon, the stars fade from the heavens, and the first glimpse of the sun rising from the distance began. Being up high in the Survey Corp’s old manor on the outskirts of Shiganshina, Eren could almost imagine a similar situation a year ago but in a different city. Their little bubble, in the cold winter. It forced them to reconcile their differences, and finally, he started to fully see Levi beyond the standoffish and rude manner of speaking. 

“Good morning,” Eren said softly to the sun and took a quick photo of the warm fiery ball millions of miles away from all of them. Levi planted a fleeting kiss on the top of Eren’s head before moving back to the small desk.

Without Levi’s steady presence near, Eren shifted, so his back leaned against the cool stone window. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the first touch of warmth in the morning. The scent of freshly baked bread invaded his nose, as the kitchen staff hustled to their breakfast routines. The Cooks started to open the windows and firing up the furnaces, letting the hearty breakfast smoke rise from the chimneys. Survey Corps had an outpost base in major cities throughout the walls with Shiganshina as the farthest from the capital. The manor fell to abandonment as explorations were pushed to Colossal Peaks and the holy lands. Shiganshina’s outpost base became more of a self-sustaining farm for the wall guards. With it being off the beaten path, it relied heavily on the weekly trips to the main city for supplies. The week following the arrival of his father, and Kruger in town caused a buzz through the corridors among the recruits. Many, like Eren’s friends, only have a curiosity to the lone Marley-Eldian soldier that spoke to no one but the higher-ups. Levi had even pointed out that Eren wrung out every possible excuse in the book to avoid his father. The doctor, Grisha, had only been a fleeting thought through most of his time since coming to the walled Kingdom. 

As time went by, he’d taken on the role of Eren Yeager, the rebellious youth that earned the nickname, Suicidal Bastard by a horse-faced idiot within the same batch of recruits. The time of being a scout, while shorter from his years of binding vows, and bidding of orders, he tried hard to shove the dark history of his bloodied life. Eren barely registered the hand that slowly laced with his fingers or the other hand that touched the side of his head and turning it to face a pair of steely gray orbs that held his gaze critically. “You’re _ drifting off _ again,” Levi whispered, pulling Eren fully out of his daydreaming with a lingering kiss on the lips.

“Sorry,” Eren finally managed on the short seconds of pulling apart from the raven. 

“Do you still remember her?” Levi asked, his hands cupping the sides of Eren’s face. The same worried expression that drawn his thin brows together. The corporal never openly showed his fears, and kept them locked behind even the thickest of steel doors of his mind, but whenever, as the man says frequently, sees Eren “drifting” through thick memories that plague his mind. Anxiety shows through the hard mask of indifference. Eren pried the fingers off his face and gave a small nod of assurance though the Raven still stared hard for another few seconds before making his way back to the desk. The all too familiar mahogany trunk sat at the center, on the lid. Etched onto the polished wood was the silver crest of a chalice with two crossed swords above it. Neither of them made a move to open the box but knew too well of the contents. The broken pieces of Ymir’s sword, the first of the Eldians. Even after the sword had been rendered useless, Erwin and the royal family all agreed that destroying the last relic was a total waste. All decisions over what to do with the fragments of the sword and case, however, still went to the Lance Corporal, the rightful heir to the sword. Ever since their journey back from Colossal Peaks, the object became the last topic Eren or Levi wanted to talk about. 

Instead of answering Levi’s question, Eren turned his attention back to the sounds of the squad leaders gathering the new scouts for the morning run. The old instructor Shadis, sat on the saddle of his horse, and barking orders to the wide-eyed scouts. Eren spotted a few faces from Shiganshina itself. “We’re going back to Trost soon you know.” Eren reminded, and without looking at Levi, he knew that the man paused from wiping his knives at the change of topic. Before Levi could even put a stop on the thought, he added the discussion he had with Moblit and Armin during Levi’s time away. “Moblit is close to his research for using titan crystals as an alternative electricity source. If things go smooth sailing, Eldia could have some resources to trade with other countries.”

“Getting titan crystals means go through the mountains again.” Levi slammed the knife with too much force than necessary on the desk. Eren flinched, but otherwise, focused on anything else but turning around to face the full glare of the raven.

“You don’t have to go with me.” He added softly, since last night, Erwin already ordered for Levi to stay with Kruger to plan out the best way to approach Marley. A war would soon befall them for not agreeing with the trade of peace. The tension within the war room at the Reiss’s manor emitted from Levi the most. 

Rod Reiss darted his eyes between Erwin and the King as the two spoke more on a hushed conversation. “It’s a fair trade,” Rod supplied, but Levi scoffed and placed both hands on the table. If glares could set a fire, the Raven would have burned the letter that came from his old commander, Tybur. 

“What a load of bullshit. They know about Eren, and want him because of it.” Levi spat bitterly, while Eren just leaned back against the deep purple curtains that covered the balcony. He didn’t like to entertain the ranking officers by a long table, even though the topic at hand centered on him. 

Erwin scanned the simple letter again, his expression, as usual, remained unchanged. “A deal of having a broken sword, the boy, and you in chains. If we give to their demands then, Marley would leave Eldia alone, without raising war.” Erwin said slowly, and the corners of his lips quirked up. “They sure do make a fuss over Eldian relics.” The icy blue eyes of the commander turned to Eren, and all he could offer was a shrug. It didn’t even offend him anymore how he remained the target. They sent Levi for the job and failed. Mayley became even more desperate after losing their strongest warrior. “Will you go willingly?” 

“The sword’s broken anyway, none of it matters anymore. Once they know of this, Eldia would still have hell to pay.” Eren summarized. Levi, on the other hand, rejected the idea of sending the sword and Eren to Marley. 

“And will you liked to be in chains on your way back to your real commander?” King Rowan countered, and it was Eren’s turn to voice his refusal to the request. 

“Shut up, brat.”

“Don’t talk, old man.”

“We shouldn’t even be talking about this!” Reiss spoke up and slammed his fists on the table, rattling the pristine glasses of water. “Let’s just give in to the request and be done with all of this! I lost half of my businesses in Ragako because of those templar bastards after the kid, and we’d lose half the kingdom in this war! This whole mess wouldn’t even happen if we didn’t grant sanctuary to wild things from outside the walls!” 

A dagger impaled two inches deep on the hardwood surface of the table stopped whatever Reiss had to say next, especially with Eren’s taller frame standing inches from the man. “I’m not the same weapon that follows every beck or call anymore Reiss, and the Templars only came to that city because your son sold me out.” Eren gripped the serrated hilt of his dagger tightly that his knuckles turned bone-white. “I suggest you listen carefully to whatever the King decides before you run your mouth." 

King Rowan’s stern blue-grey eyes reminded Eren of a gathering storm. “Marley has a long history of deceit Reiss, even if we were to follow with their demands, they have treated our people as slaves outside of Eldia.” A series of hard coughing filled the air as the King leaned forward and lost composure. Immediately, a servant brought a glass of warm water near the thin lips of the King. “I will send word to their government. The sword and Eren Yeager is a member of my legion and my sworn knight. He remains in Eldia, with the relic. As for Levi.” All eyes turned to the Raven, even Eren. “I have no protection or jurisdiction to detain you. You are a soldier of Marley first, and an Eldian second. Those can’t change. If they request your return, I can’t stop them from taking you.”

“My place is to protect Eren.” He said with finality, and King Rowan laughed and stood taller, and he rested his dominant hand on the roaring wolf head pommel of his sword. 

“A shield, protecting a sword. Now that’s a lethal combination.” The King knew the risk of denying Marley their demands. 

For Marley’s own strongest soldier to send them back a letter of resignation. The President of Marley is far from pleased. “Petra’s team would leave for the excursion soon, Armin's joining them, and they need a navigator, Levi.”

Levi had his duties not only to Eldia but to Marley. No one spoke of his treason, and the Crown Prince, Amon Fritz did offer Levi a chance to get back his official Eldian citizenship plus a position as Erwin Smith’s second-in-command. Levi was still in heated waters with his commanding officer, and a failed mission seems to have more repercussions in the Marleyan military than Eldia. If it were a battle of stubbornness, then Eren had his whole life ahead of Levi in being that. “You and I both know that I’m the best bet of going up there.”

“Don’t go,” Eren froze, and lowered the camera to his lap. The words came out so low that he barely caught it. The way Levi spoke made his heart heavy. A silent plea behind the request, and the downcast gaze, that if it were possible, Levi would bind Eren to him all over again so he would listen. The thought of Eren heading back on the field didn’t worry Levi, it's the thought of returning to Colossal Peaks that brought out unspoken fear. They barely made it back home. Levi turned his back on Eren, ending any more discussions, but Eren knew time ran like sand slipping through fingertips. 

He lifted the camera to his eyes and turned his attention to the dirt path of the base. Eren Kruger and his dad were in the middle of a conversation as they made their way back to the town proper. “What do you think of Kruger?” 

Levi’s shoulder sagged by a fraction, grateful for the change of topic, and went back to cleaning any microscopic dirt that clung to the gleaming daggers on the desk. “Before coming to Eldia, he’s nothing more than a training commander that put me in hell and back.” Levi balanced the dagger on the palm of his hand and inspected it for any grime. 

“So you didn’t know he’s a spy?” Eren zoomed his camera to the said man and took five consecutive photos.

“Aren’t you the creepy one with the camera.” Levi countered as he gave Eren a sideways glance at the younger man, too engrossed with the camera in his hands.

“Jinx.” Eren chirped and laughed at the confused expression on Levi’s face before he turned the camera on him. The older man huffed and rolled his chair to face away from the brunet, but the sound of shoes hitting the floor, and the light taps of Eren’s feet came closer to him. “Come on Levi, just one for the camera.” He held up the black lensed object closer to Levi’s face, which made him lean away. 

“Hell no, go away.” placing a hand on the lens, the two struggled for leverage over the camera. Worries temporarily are forgotten, and before long, Eren’s laughing as he clicked the camera over Levi’s hand, turning the flash on to temporarily blind the raven. Through it all, Levi did remember how he said those same words when he first talked to the green-eyed scout.

________________________

An insistent tapping against the glass had Levi turned his head toward the car window. He rolled his eyes at the pressed paper bag filled with groceries and the huge grin on Colt’s face. The pantry at Hanji’s lab reached a critical level of low tea and food. With Hanji getting an unexpected invitation from a colleague at Hizuru. “I’ll be back before you miss me Grumpy!” Hanji said, over the phone the morning Levi woke up to find the entire desk of the crazed woman empty and clean for once. Colt filled him in on the annual congress between renowned scientists of different fields. Even Djel left with Hanji. 

Levi unlocked the trunk and let Colt handle sorting them at the back. Never a day went by that he wondered how Hanji functioned without Colt to remind her to eat, sleep, take a shit, or even restocked the food in the pantry. “She had an assistant before me,” Colt explained on the drive over to the grocery store as he diligently went through the long list of items they needed. Levi would remember to charge it off Hanji’s card when she returned. “I’ve only started working for Professor Zoe three years ago, but before that, her assistant had been the longest.”

“Why’d she switched partners then?” Levi asked as he scanned the parking lot for an empty slot.

“She never explained in detail, but something about how her past assistant stayed in Eldia to conduct his independent study. He’s a biologist, and while they do come from different fields of sciences, Hanji couldn’t seem to pull him away from his research just as much as the guy tried for her.” Outside, the sky remained a dull cloudless gray. A sign of a storm coming. Colt remained unfazed by it, and through half the day spent in the grocery, Levi wanted to do something. Without the main brains of the operations, they were sitting ducks.

Once all the bags were secured, Levi pulled the car back on the road and headed to base camp. Three weeks passed since Hanji left, and being with Colt and his team as a company had him more worn out at being in-charge. He sighed at the red light and drummed his fingers against the wheel. The time off from playing LifeLine pulled out ugly thoughts of negativity he hasn’t paid much attention to for a while. Levi's still an active-duty soldier, but because of the change in his medical records, and the obvious handicap. No general or even the commander himself wanted him back on the frontlines. LifeLine became his only salvation from the dark pit of feeling useless and restlessness of doing nothing. The day he prepared to hand over his letter of resignation to Commander Tybur. The glasses-freak scientist bounded toward him, and he would’ve punched her right on the face out of reflex if Hanji’s hands weren’t quicker. That feat alone surprised him since only a few soldiers have best him in speed. Hanji changed her hold on Levi’s hand and shook it firmly. “Nice to finally meet the infamous wolf of Marley, Levi Ackerman.” 

Instead of speaking, Levi turned to Tybur. The cold, calculated gaze stared at their interaction critically, followed by a polite smile. “Allow me to introduce, Hanji Zoe, the head of psychology research and medical technology department of Titan.”

“And she concerns me, why?” He asked while prying his fingers away from Hanji’s grip.

Hanji faked wiping a tear from the corner of her eyes and pretended to be hurt by the words. “You wound me, Ackerman. I’m here to help you.” Hanji said firmly and pointed a thumb to herself. “I’ll be your friend and lifeline back to the world of the living.” She laughed at her joke, and Levi instantly knew they had long days of arguing ahead. 

He snapped out from the memory while they pulled up on the underground parking lot of the facility. Colt unbuckled his seatbelt and peered at him curiously. “You seem distracted.” 

“I can’t believe I am saying this but, I might be missing that shitty four-eyed freak,” Levi admitted and instead of teasing him about it, Colt only grinned, genuinely glad for him to appreciate her.

  
  


________________________

Willy liked to keep his investments under a neat order that made it easier for him to oversee them. Djel kept him updated about the progress within LifeLine and how his players were making remarkable progress through the gameplay. Marley is so close to winning the war with Eldia, and soon, the devils of Paradis would finally surrender. He could still remember the anger in Ackerman’s eyes after the video call with him from Trost. The pure, undiluted rage as Levi finally heard Willy's plans for the sword. Willy knew the island had reduced Ackerman back to the rebellious cadet, and he didn't like losing his investments.

“You and I were once on the same ideals Levi,” Willy mused while reading all of the past reports of Eren Yeager before his spies from Eldia were compromised. The door to his office opened by a fraction, and his secretary informed her of Djel’s return from Hizuru. He closed the folder of Eren Yeager’s data, laced his fingers together, and leaned back in his chair. “Send him a message. I want to have a meeting with Djel as soon as he is available.”

An hour later, Willy arranged a lunch meeting with Djel at his manor, Far from the unwanted ears. Ever since the failed missions a year ago, he kept a closer eye on all of his soldiers and even more so with the Eldians that worked for him. His parents were both fanatics of the myths and lores of Eldia. They didn’t lead Marley to glory but only sought to hide the knowledge of the ancient kingdom from the eyes of other countries. “No one should know.” His father told him multiple times growing up. Willy read the banned books of Eldia within the safety of his father's study. When he received word of an Ackerman entering the Marleyan military, he got curious. The rumors of the bloodline and it’s downfall piqued his interest as a child. Levi Ackerman became his best weapon on the field. An iron wall that defended to those he is loyal to. He didn’t doubt him to put any of his plans in action, even when he sent him to Eldia.

“You must’ve known of the stories of Ymir’s relics.” He had asked the raven three years ago, months before his assignment in Paradis. Levi had just returned from his tour on the Middle-Eastern front. 

The confusion visible on the man’s eyes as he peculiarly sipped his tea was not missed by Willy. The raven-haired Ackerman had a rogue and wild look that Willy rightful coined him as a wolf. Untameable, and wouldn’t sit, bark, or roll over like a dog. No, Willy proved that to tame a wild beast required dominance, and to make themselves know the consequences of going against the leader. He’d taken extra hours of training Levi into a warrior under his orders was necessary. The rebellious streak the young man disappeared after personally training him. 

Levi placed his cup down and crossed his legs to get comfortable in his seat. “I’ve heard the stories about them, yes, they were bedtime stories that mothers used to get kids to settle down for the night and explain the origins of Colossal Peaks.”

“I believe, the royal family has the relics,” Willy said to the point and Levi huffed a laugh. “You think the prospects of buried treasure is not true?”

“The mountains were unexplored for centuries. Even a street rat kid like me knew how the king didn’t dare to go to past the forests farther north of Ragako.” Levi countered, but he had been so wrong.

Willy’s intel had spies within the Military Police, and the Garrison. However, he didn’t divulge with the smallest sector, the Survey Corps. He received a final message from one of his spies of being compromised. His spy was arrested by a person of the name, Erwin Smith as he tried to gather intel about the scouts’ movement to Colossal Peaks. Willy needed a new set of eyes and ears within Smith’s ranks. As he explained the plan, he didn’t doubt that espionage would be a walk in the park with Ackerman. 

“A storm is coming to Djel,” Willy spoke up as he heard the doors to the parlor door open. The tall man with thinning hair strode toward him with his briefcase in one hand, and his long coat hung around the other arm. “You seem to be worrying.” He added, as Djel gave a curt nod, and settled to the seat opposite of his. The servants placed a tray of varying sandwiches for him, along with tall glasses of sparkling water, that Djel favored. 

Out from his usual lab coat, and clipboards, Djel wore a faded dark sweater and loose black slacks. The pair of brown leather shoes were unpolished, and if Willy were to judge, it was the same pair the man wore for the past five years. “Nothing too serious to fret about,” Djel explained, but Willy saw through the clipped reply. He remained silent knowing that a minimal response could pull on the man’s anxiety, then voicing his opinion. Djel tried to find a comfortable position on his seat, but with only the sound of birds chipping from the tree branches, and the occasional clatter of the fine porcelain cups on the glass table. Eventually, Djel spoke, sweat trailing down the side of his face. “I’m losing control. Professor Zoe is following the protocol of our movement through LifeLine, but the recent data on our subject shows that he’s recovering.” 

Willy only stared at Djel's attempts of explaining, and causing a hitch in his plans. The man didn’t like his machines breaking down, and could get illogical when things failed. If Djel couldn’t find a solution to the little bug, Willy had no choice but to isolate the problem and finish it. “I just need full control of the program, and hopefully, we could retrieve the relic without Ackerman’s team.”

“The point of LifeLine, Djel, is to test Loyalty again. Not just for Ackerman. You know very well what I mean.” The sternness in his tone made Djel pale and nod immediately. The scientist was also under his pressuring after his multitudes of slip-ups. If his machine failed, it would be only a matter of time before the recovery period would unravel his schemes to retrieve his prize. “I need that relic, Djel. Once the president's convinced of such items and its validity. He would surely focus on taking the land for Marley.” 

“Yes sir,” Djel answered immediately and rubbed his hands together. “But, what of Ackerman?”

“Monitor him closely, and if he recovers any more memories, then I need you to go through with our back-up plan.” Precaution is what kept Willy at the top of the business. Smith, may have outsmarted him of his original plans, but the minor setback only led him to a more fool-proof scheme. There were only a few pieces in the game that were up in the wind, but otherwise, his plans would work out without any more interference. 

The cold ocean breeze and the darkening skies didn’t deter Willy from moving. Without a proper dismissal, Djel also stayed in his seat, if not, hesitant to further irritate the commander. “What of, Professor Zoe? I have no doubt she still works for the scouts. The avatars she’s created are based on actual soldiers.” 

“Which is why we are going to update the system.” Willy lifted his hand and gestured for one of his servants to come forward. The woman in her maid outfit came closer and stood by his side. “Bring out the parcel from the office.” The maid bowed and briskly went back inside the manor.

Not long after, the maid came out with two more servant boys, carrying similarly marked parcel boxes in their arms. Djel leaned closer to the open top of the box in the woman’s hands and became bewildered. “Sir...these are just the LifeLine headgear.” 

He couldn’t help it but laugh at the expression on Djel’s face, but he picked out one of the sleek helmets of Djel’s design and pushed the tray of sandwiches aside. “I want you to tamper with these to match the function of the chip you’ve designed. Then, make sure you have Zoe ship it off to her team that does the maintenance of the LifeLine droids in Eldia. Don’t let her detect anything different from the gear.”

Djel took down notes and placed the helmet in his hands, already piecing two plans together and grinned as if a light bulb lit atop his head at the eureka moment. “I’ll have my team reconfigure these and have them ship these out, but...after the first wave.” 

“Yes, that’ll be enough time.” Willy sat back and watched as a flock of birds from the nearby tree soared away, heading to the deeper part of the city. “I need to invest in getting you new toys anyways. It’s getting two birds with one stone.” He added, and couldn’t wait to see the facade of Hanji Zoe would crumble once her work fully belonged to him.

______________________

The greasy breakfast and the warzone mess made at the pantry was the last thing Levi wanted to see in the morning. A thin layer of flour settled on the countertops where he’d brew tea or prepared meals. Pieces of eggshells scattered around the small trash bin by the sink and splatters of batter covered most of the used utensils and left unwashed on the kitchen sink. He may have slept through the early morning after the insomniac evenings, finally letting him have the much-needed rest. Levi counted back from twenty to zero just to remain calm as he surveyed the biohazard zone that only signaled the return of the four-eyed scientist. 

He even heard Hanji before he saw her. The loud woman made herself comfortable in the lab with platters of pancakes, bacon, and eggs laid across the metal table, her medical equipment was usually arranged. Hanji wore a loose teal-colored blouse, ripped black jeans, and a pair of running shoes like she just took off from her house, and went over a friend’s house in high school. Colt sat at his usual spot with a plate piled high with three stacks of pancakes, he nibbled on the crispy edges of bacon. The loud hooting cheer from the woman was the only warning he got before he sidestepped her tackle.

Not even upset, Hanji straightened up and placed both hands on Levi’s shoulders and gave more than the necessary pat. “Levi! I am baaaaack!” Hanji shrilled that Levi finally had enough and placed a hand over her mouth.

“One more tone-deaf banshee screaming from you at nine in the morning, and I will personally ship you back to Hizuru in a fucking crate,” Levi warned, but only amusement filled Hanjis’s brown eyes but nodded, and further relaxed that when Levi finally let go. She placed both hands behind her back and gave a toothy grin at him.

“I just miss my little grump.” She reached out to ruffle Levi’s hair, but one stern glare caused her to hold both hands up to calm him. “I made breakfast by the way.” She added and handed Levi his plate. When he didn’t protest, the mad scientist went to retell all that she had done in Hizuru while Levi turned her eloquent and dull chatter as background noise. 

Halfway through breakfast, a sense of normalcy settled on Levi. The sound of Hanji talking non-stop even when no one truly paid attention to her. The jabs of her strange factual humor and the sound of the static buzzed faulty radio- Levi froze, and his winced at the sudden pain like a sledgehammer slammed full force against the side of his head. There’s no radio in Hanji’s lab, yet he remembered it as vivid as day. A cozy workshop with high arched windows that let natural light in. Laid out on the long, wooden worktables were brass or copper equipment that glinted under the sunlight. Then, there was the ancient radio that filled the room with the same old music. He knew such a place exist but not when or where he’d been there.

“Levi?” Hanji leaned down to look directly at him, and concern scrunch her brows closer to the middle. “Are you alright?” 

Leaning back, Levi tried to hold onto the fragmented and hazy image of a past he couldn’t pinpoint, and his eyes grew wide as the words tumbled out of his tongue. “Fucking rustic song is stuck in my head.” He muttered and then laughed. At first Colt and Hanji gave him a wide-eyed shock, assessing if he had finally lost his marbles. A small part of him did question it, but the relief he just felt to remember something from his murky mind. “I remember something, a stupid, shitty radio in this workshop at Eldia.” He explained, and Hanji settled to sit back in her chair while he explained. “I went to that workshop a lot. The place was a disaster zone, and there’s this vent that made sure toxic fumes got filtered out without killing whoever’s in there.”

The workshop became the place Levi often went to just to get away from something. The place remained unorganized and messy, but he’d been told not to touch a single thing. He had countless conversations with faceless people in that workshop and examining intricate metal works or woven leather pieces. The radio filled the memory as a solid and steady presence. A rusty piece of metal that sat on the window, by the corner of the room. It was shoved between stacks of heavy bound books playing only one tune. The music held a rising crescendo of instruments sung in a language that sounded neither Marleyan or Eldian, yet its repeated melody began to loop in his mind. “I don’t know what the song is called, but it's the only damn thing that played in that workshop.”

“Can you describe it?” Hanji asked, and began pacing back and forth in the lab.

“Why does it matter? It's not like a major memory or anything.” 

“It’s still a memory,” Colt insisted, and turned away from his breakfast as well and adjusted his glasses. “Even I’m curious, why was the song in particular stuck to you.”

Levi pondered on the question and closed his eyes. For days on end during his rehabilitation, he did try to work on recovering his memories. It left him feeling like a blind man fumbling in the dark. Colt’s question, however, stirred something within him, as if it wanted to recall why the workshop had been important. Then it hit him as if the memory had always been there. “It’s a festive song...the radio kept playing it because it was weeks away from a festival in Eldia.”

“The dance of light and blades,” Hanji whispered. Levi shot to his feet as the words rang with a sureness that centered him between past and present.

“What...festival is that?” Colt asked, wording the question that Levi wanted to ask.

The scientist smiled and twirled around her seat, humming the song that played in Levi’s mind. “The dance of light and blades is a festival. To honor pact between the Angels and the Kings.”

  
  


A loud booming laugh came from the doorway, and all three of them turned just as Reiner, and Annie entered. “Sorry to burst in so early in the office. We came here with parcels from the Commander to drop off for Professor Zoe.” Levi eyed the large box in Reiner’s hands with the shipping details of the Facility. Hanji hopped out of her seat and led the younger soldiers to her office. “That’s still a funny story Professor. Eldians believe in winged beings.”

Hanji merely shrugged her shoulders and rejoined them in the Lab. “I am a woman of science, and yes, such celebrations do exist within the capital. Eldians believed in winged men and woman with extraordinary skills.” 

“The Nephilim.” The name Levi’s mother used to say whenever she told him stories about humans with the blood of the angels. It was some of his favorite bedtime stories as a child. Hearing about a kingdom between heaven and earth hidden deep within Colossal Peaks. 

“Did you celebrate the festival when you were young? Maybe that triggered the memory.” Colt supplied, but Levi immediately shook his head. 

Aside from his birthday and New Year’s eve, he and his mother barely celebrated anything else. The village they lived in hadn’t celebrated anything grand that required music similar to the tune Hanji vocalized. “The dance of light and blades is like a ceremony Colt, only soldiers and the royal knights participate in it for the King.” Hanji rolled up a piece of paper and started to prance around like an idiot fencing an invisible opponent between Levi and Colt. It only pulled an interest audience with Reiner and Annie seeing the weird dance of the scientist. “It happens once a decade, and only within Sina. The whole capital welcomes new soldiers into the service and then awards elite soldiers from the batch.” 

“How do you even know all of these four-eyes?” Levi questioned while stabbing into his pancakes again. The smug look on Hanji’s face, however, made him somehow regret asking.

“I happened to be a graduate of Sina University! I saw the last dance of light and blades festival three years ago before I moved here.” Whimsical, glazed over eyes, Hanji’s lost in the moment that it made Levi jealous that the science nut had something to fall back on as good memories from their homeland. “Since you two are here, be sure to tell the rest of the team we are going into LifeLine tonight!”

At the sudden announcement, Levi disliked how he perked up at the return to the virtual world. Reiner and Annie gave her a quick salute before leaving the lab to go about their duties back at the base camp. “What’s the agenda in LifeLine this time? Another city to ransack and take over?”

“Nope,” Hanji went back to her office, and Levi faintly heard the sound of the rustling of papers and metal drawers being pulled open and closed. “We are going to have the first wave tomorrow!” The brunet returned with a blue folder in her hand. She began to pull out various blueprint sketches of Trost and tacked them on the corkboard that hung on the wall by the medical cabinets. 

“It seems we have a very long day ahead.” Levi stared at the complexity of the map and knew his monotonous days of wandering the compound of the facility came to an end. “Gather up here by afternoon, and we’ll have a proper discussion on how this wave would go down.”

With Hanji’s return to the lab, everything settled back to how Levi would classify as normal. Colt reminding Hanji where certain files or equipment were kept. Levi placed his inputs onto some schemes to improve the gameplay of LifeLine and the occasional bickering with Hanji. All in all, a routine he didn’t know had been established after weeks of being immersed between the virtual world and the real world. Throughout lunch, the minor throb against the side of his head magnified to a full-blown migraine. Even the slightest sound of Colt swiveling on his chair got him agitated. “By the angels can you fucking turn down that racket!” Levi pressed his hands to his ears the second Hanji’s blender sliced through the silence.

“Something bothering you Levi?” Hanji’s head poked out from the doorway but mercifully turned the blender off. A strange orange concoction in her hand. “I was making some carrot smoothies.”

Dulling the pain by closing his eyes did nothing, and it only left Levi feeling worse. “My headaches are getting insane by the day.” 

Hanji mentioned something about medicine from Colt, and even with his eyes closed, the sound of Hanji’s chair came closer to his side. “You did mention something about not sleeping properly for a few days.” After a moment, Colt returned with ibuprofen and a tall glass of water. “How much sleep are you getting?”

Ever since the last mission, Levi just couldn’t get any proper rest. He describes how he remained alert and couldn’t fall to sleep even with exhaustion clear as day swept his body. “It’s almost like something is keeping me up.” He summarized while giving Colt his glass back. Hanji grimaced and pulled out her penlight. She did the standard check-up of following the light while it glared right at his eye.

The scientist and part-time doctor rolled back over to her chair and began to type down symptoms on her computer. “Plenty of reasons, but I guess your insomnia just kicked up a notch.” She cupped her chin with a hand and gnawed on her lower lip, the way she did when deep in thought and ran the theories a hundred miles an hour mentally. “Normally, I’d suggest you take sleeping pills, but then you might get overdosed for taking them and jumping into the simulation later in the evening.” The glint in the scientist’s eyes was close to what Levi could describe as a bad idea ready to happen, but couldn’t do anything to stop it. “We shall try something that would help you sleep without doping you up!”

“This is fucking ridiculous,” Levi said for the nth time since he stared at the white ceiling and counting in time with the tick of the clock. 

The squeak of Hanji’s chair drawn him to tilt his head toward the direction, but Hanji immediately held him down on the sofa again. She instructed him to just continue to focus on counting and breathing. “Meditation can center your mind, and might help you clear your mind of unnecessary thoughts.” She explained while Colt began to attach receptors to Levi’s temples, and a larger receptor against his heart under his shirt. “We’ll see if you relax once your heartbeat evens out to a slow rhythm. And I may not look like it, but I watched plenty of youtube videos on how to talk to someone to sleep hypnotically.” 

“Don’t make me your test subject.” 

“Of course not, you’re my patient.” 

Another jibe would’ve left his mouth if the lights hadn’t been switched off, and Levi quickly turned to the strange ball of light. A miniature replica of a moon in the form of a lamp. The moon lamp pulsed slow, dimming and then brightening up the room. Colt sat back behind his chair, and adjusted the light through a Bluetooth control of his phone, while Hanji stood behind the sofa. “I don’t know if hypnosis works, but I tried this with my old assistant, and he was out like a light after I said my instructions.” Hanji cleared her throat, and a yawn escaped Levi. “Ah good, you’re starting to get cozy. Now, I want you to focus on the lamp.” 

Pushing the lamp closer to the edge of the coffee table, and Levi fully turned on his side to keep both eyes on the glowing object. He crossed his arms over his chest and exhaled while following Hanji’s instruction. The lamp appeared just about like any other room decoration. Nothing about it stood out as special, but his body began to relax, and without realizing, his breathing slowed to match the pulse of the lamp. “I want you to focus on your breathing. Let your mind be freed of thought.”

“My head is pounding and you want me to think of nothing else.” He countered, but Hanji hushed him instantly and said no more.

Having no other instructions, Levi glued his eyes on the illuminated orb before him. After several heartbeats, he felt detached from his physical body. Between the need for a full length of rest and the ibuprofen, Levi’s eyelids continued to fall heavier as he breathed in sync with the lamp. “Let your mind wander far from the pain, and sleep.” His eyes closed shut, and he drifted away from the pain of his head.

Time seemed to stretch differently the minute Levi opened his eyes again. Disoriented, Levi rolled onto his other side and was amazed by how clear his mind became after Hanji’s little experiment. “It seems credits are well due to that lunatic.” He muttered and sat up. The smell of freshly brewed chamomile wafts the air and causing him to groan.

“You’re awake!” Hanji commented from somewhere at his right. Levi stood and stretched his arms out ready to thank Hanji for whatever miracle the brainiac did to make him feel so refreshed. He turned around, the breath caught in his throat. “You slept like a curled up cat on that old thing.” 

The person looming over on Levi looked, and talked like the scientist he had worked together with for the past months, yet entirely different. A pair of goggles wrapped around her head, with the unruly brown hair tied in a tight ponytail. She wore a bright yellow, buttoned shirt with the sleeves rolled to her elbows. “What time is it?” He murmured while she moved toward the old radio, and gave it a few hard thumps. Trapped in a dream state, Levi finally grasped that he stood at the very workshop he last recalled. Garbled voices and static noise erupted with every hit Hanji pounded on the metal box. “That thing is ancient, and it only plays one song you know.” 

“It's half-past ten in the morning,” Hanji said over her shoulder and gave the radio another hard smack. Clear sounds of instruments came from the speakers and Hanji grinned at him for her caveman tactic to get the thing working. 

“How exactly are you a scientist?” Levi questioned as Hanji went around the long work tables to sort through the different rock samples taken from the north of Eldia. 

A cheeky grin lifted on her face as the music on the radio began to build up its beat. Levi found himself closing his eyes and listening intently to the melody. The very same tune that fitted perfectly with uplifting mood right outside where most of the city began its preparations for the celebration. “I study things Levi, inventing is not my strong point. It is making a possibility into reality what I do.” Hanji hummed to the tune while a familiar person ran past the open doorway of Hanji’s lab. Both of them turned to the sudden commotion of the cadets that stormed through the hallway, and the shrill call of the black-haired Asian girl calling them all to hurry to the East Stave, the part of Sina where the parade would begin. “Shouldn’t that be your cue to see the festival as well.” Hanji mused while she placed one of the rock samples, a crude piece of a brownstone the size of a marble under the microscope.

“I’m not a party person.” He stated but still made his way to the window with less clutter. Levi ignored the chuckles from her, while he watched all the scouts dashing out the palace gates, heading to the Stave. They'd only return to the dormitories with alcohol in their bloodstream in the evening. 

Before he realized it, Hanji took his hand and dragged him out of the laboratory. A long stream of curses both in Eldian and Marleyan came from him as he kept pace with the long-legged woman. “Come on Levi, let’s have some fun!” She exclaimed and shoved the double doors of the main entrance open.

Levi woke up to the grim, and serious look of Colt as the younger man shook him awake. Most of his team stood by the doorway with determined gazes. “You slept well,” Colt commented with a slight grin. “Hanji and the rest of the researchers are already at the briefing room. Tonight will be a big operation.”

The walk to the briefing room filled with small talk and chatter from Falco and Reiner. Levi barely even paid attention as the meeting began. Keeping his gaze low, and only answering when needed to. He avoided looking at the only other female scientist in the room. Little doubt remains anymore that he couldn’t stop how his heart was racing with the thoughts in his head. Hanji Zoe, whoever she was to Levi, they truly have met before, and could be the key to his missing past.


	8. The First Wave: Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiya everyone! It's been literally weeks since I’ve updated. So sorry for the delay. Life had been extremely hectic with me since December started. I had back to back commitments from work and personal life to deal with. However, we are finally back into the game of LifeLine. I didn’t realize that on the last chapter, I haven’t explained the song Levi and Hanji were talking about. Go check it out, it’s called Colors of Love by Thomas Bergersen. I’m actually a very huge fan of Bergersen and his music. Most of his songs along with Two Steps from Hell compose the playlist that goes with this story. Also through the first wave simulation, the song would be Titan Dune by Two Steps from Hell. Don’t forget that Kudos, and Comments are always appreciated. Enjoy!   
-DanDeeLion

Levi hated crows. The beady-eyed, black, bird perched along the edge of the wall, near to his feet while preening its feathers. A flock of crows circled above his childhood home the day his mother died and were present the entire evening on the battle on Paradis Beach. He’d been tempted to kick the wayward bird, but a warning echoed in his head whenever he felt the inkling to shoo the thing off. 

“ _ Do badly to the omens doubles your misfortune _ .” A warning that an elderly woman told him. The woman used to bring food to his home. The lady was a shaman that went around the seaside village. Levi couldn’t forget the rich taste of the milk or the way the cheese melts in his mouth whenever he shared the food with his mom. While he sat on the large dead tree behind their home, a couple of crows squawked and inched closer to the basket with food. Levi had a fist-sized stone in his hand and would’ve thrown it at the perky animals if it weren’t for the hand that held his arm back.

The old lady's hair was tied in an intricate braid while she stared at him with stern storm grey eyes. She shook her head and tossed out pieces of bread along the beach. “Treat no creature with cruelty and they will shower you with kindness.” She murmured and settled to sit beside Levi. The wood creaked as if she weighed tons under the silken, brownish robes. “ _ Do badly to the omens doubles your misfortune _ . young soldier.” 

“I’m no soldier,” Levi muttered but made no move to harm the crows that flapped their dark wings to chase after the tossed food. The chuckle from the older lady reminded him of sleigh bells from the carriages that went through the main streets of the village. Light and airy, a contrast to the aged face and wrinkled arms of the woman.

A gentle breeze from the sea ruffled his dark locks, and waves swept the remains of crumbs forcing the crows to fly away. “No, you are not. Perhaps you're a warrior then?” She queried, her neck craned to watch the crows fly back to the village in hopes for more scraps. The image of heroes from his mother’s stories crossed Levi’s mind. He wanted to be like Arthur the wise, or Cormac the Brave from the stories of Ymir’s Queensguard, but with his scrawny built, and weak body, he doubted he could even defeat a wayward drunkard. 

“I can’t,” Levi admitted sullenly and tucked his legs closer to his chest so he could rest his forehead on his knees. 

Levi felt a hand petting the crown of his head. “Admitting your limits does not make you weak, young one. You can’t take an army on your own. Learn that acknowledging strength comes with accepting weakness.”

The nomadic woman never came back or visited Levi after that encounter. He often asked his mother about her, but she would just brush it off as if the lady could come and go as she wished. Levi hadn’t even thought about her in a long time, but as he stood a head taller and move limbs of a body, not his. Levi in general just felt off and distant from the game than usual. “Captain, we’ve scouted the perimeter.” Bertolt’s voice came through the earpiece. Eren Kruger stood with his back straight like a sentry, while the rest of Levi’s team already scattered into the agreed formation. Hanji and Djel only gave his team an hour at midnight to survey the entire area of Trost.

“I’ll be watching the first wave,” Tybur announces once the meeting was adjourned. From the corner of Levi’s eye, he saw how Hanji’s fingers clenched into a tight fist under the table since she sat next to him. “We need this wave to go without a hitch. This may be just a simulation, but we need to perfect it to expose any weak links on the enemy’s position.” The commander added before his eyes zeroed in on Levi. “Zero casualties for the Marleyans, understood?”

Levi had no room for discussion or errors. If he failed, there would be repercussions. “You got thirty minutes to defend the walls before the Marleyan soldiers arrive.” Hanji briefed for the eighth time since Levi entered the virtual world. He also saw enemy movement from the south. He attached the blade to the handgrip, and with a quick order, sent Reiner to handle the Eldian. 

“Keep me posted, and Hanji.” He hesitated to speak for, one, the memory remained fresh in his head, and the two, their cut short conversation before entering the game. “We need to talk after this.” He added before a trail of red smoke came from his left side. He remembered those smoke signals well from the war. The Eldians were marking off danger zones. “Shit.” He leaped off the wall and fired a hook to the closest stone building. Releasing only enough gas to thrust him forward and examine the rooftops for any more hidden soldiers. “Falco and Annie, the two of you will haze out enemy soldiers but stay hidden, don’t let them know our numbers. I’ll draw them out. Bertolt, stay high and take out the unfriendlies tailing me.” 

“Yes, sir!” answered back at him. A blur of green crossed quickly to his right, and instincts drove him to twist mid-air and lift his blades to protect his right side. Sparks flew together with the high-pitched sound of clashing steel. The impact of the pair of blades would’ve been enough to send Levi hurling to the ground if he didn’t have the upper hand with the thick-browed brute. Piercing grey eyes like his glared at him. Being so close to the female Eldian, Levi recognized the face from his dream. The few seconds of distraction cost him, as a fist made square contact with his jaw. He shoved his own knee to the Eldian’s middle and shoved her off completely, hoping she’d fall hard. Levi shot another hook through the tiles of one rooftop just as the resilient soldier managed to soften her landing on top of a parked truck. Before she could engage with Levi further, Kruger flew passed him and landed a solid kick on the Eldian’s midsection. 

“Levi let him handle it, Kruger is still programmed to protect you,” Hanji informed him, but Levi’s eyes stayed on the two characters that rolled off the truck on their attempts to pin the other. A single message appeared on his inbox that had him reeling back up on the rooftops and move his feet away from Kruger.

“Captain, there’s movement from the west side. I can’t strike from my point.” Bertolt reported just as Levi’s boots touched the tiled rooftops. 

His first idea was to send either Annie or Falco to aid Bertolt, with Reiner preoccupied with luring a group of green-capped enemies away from his position. The plan began to formulate in his head until Annie cued in her own report. “Falco and I are engaging in battle. The Survey Corps, special operations squadron found us.”

“We can’t get to Bertolt without exposing his position,” Falco added, and the muffled yells and curses from the enemy echoed from Falco’s line. 

Below Levi, the masked soldier Kruger still had his blades crossed with the female soldier. With the clock ticking, he left Kruger and leaped between the buildings to reach the far-off enemies. “I’ll handle them, Bertolt, pair up with Reiner and pluck those flies off the skies.”

“Yes sir,” Bertolt replied and the lines were silent again. Ever since Levi first learned to swing his fist to defend himself, the battle of survival honed his mind and body to move without hesitation. Adrenaline coursed through his veins while he reached for another pair of blades from its holster. He raced toward the western wall, eyes on the scouts that sent green flares to the sky. Levi twisted midair, clicking the switch that propelled him up the remaining length of the wall. The momentum spun his entire body in full rotation. While others found the sensation nauseating, Levi adapted to the peculiar form of attack simultaneously defending his front and back.

The enemy had no time to even escape his attack once the thin metal sliced through their layers of clothing and flesh. In a single fluid motion, Levi killed two and pushed an unlucky man down the other side of the wall. He felt uncoordinated while moving the avatar. Erwin’s built was heavier than his real body, and while the game system enables Levi to automatically move once he set the intention. If he wanted to mow down anything within his line of sight, he could flow with the natural motion of his body to match with Erwin’s. However, as the fighting wore on, Erwin’s energy bar dropped faster. 

“Every character can only do a certain type of combination of actions before they wore down. They just stop like a car without fuel. If you use way too many movements, the energy bar goes down until you give them time to charge.” Hanji explained it to him the day after his first jump into LifeLine.

At the time, Levi understood the logic, in the real world, you’re not invincible, and the same application was placed for the virtual game. Time wasn’t siding with anyone, and with the main mission to build a base for operations and ensure that no one dies before reinforcements come. Levi spared a glance at the timer, and he only had fifteen minutes left into the game. 

More scouts started to climb the walls and marking off Reiner, Falco, Annie, and him as the biggest threat. “Captain, we have a company from my position at four o’clock,” Bertolt said before a curse slipped from Levi’s lips. Bertolt was high on the wall but if the enemy spotted him, they’d lose their eyes in the sky. “Kruger, defend Bertolt.” He gave the curt command, while he sprinted along the length of the wall. His breathing already coming out in short gasps, and cramps started to manifest and felt known from his avatar. 

Through the hindrance and the dangerously low energy left with Erwin, the scouts found him as the weakest link. “Shit,” he hissed just as an arrow narrowly missed Erwin’s head if Levi hadn’t ducked in time

“Stamina recovers slower if you keep moving you moron!” Hanji warned, formalities already out the window at that point, but Levi still kept pushing even with the warning. If he stopped, he’d be diced. “Levi,” His name came out in full frustration that if Levi were to judge even in his unconscious state, the brunette would’ve already strangled him for his stubbornness.

“I’m trying to save Smith’s huge ass, so stop talking.” He growled back and leaped off the wall. Levi softened his landing by using the taunt cords of the maneuver gear to slow down his descent by a fraction before crashing straight through a tall arch window. Fragments of glass rained around him and spread across the tiled floors. Erwin’s breaths came in short gasps, but Levi’s not out of danger yet. Erwin’s energy got dangerously close to red, and from the grappling hooks that clung to the edges of the broken window. Levi had to flee.

_ Request to Switch from Eren Kruger. _ The message popped up before Levi’s eyes that he entirely froze and wholly baffled by the request. Levi’s last command for his extra character was to defend their only sniper. Without a second’s hesitation, he rejected the offer. Getting out of shitty situations is what he's best at, even if he had to play dirty to do it. Aside from the depleting energy level, Erwin only had one last pair of blades left to fight with. He didn't have enough gas to get him out of the office building. If Levi marked the location as his and secured it, then he could recover Eyebrow’s energy.

“Everyone, I need a status now and pin your positions. We got ten minutes left of this battle before reinforcements come.” 

The first to respond was Bertolt, and his position on the city map had shifted from the last place Levi saw him. “Had to make a beeline sir. The enemy found the source of the bullet parade. I'm switching to plan B now.” The lanky man said through as he ran. Carrying around a large rifle with the added maneuver gear restricted him from fully running at top speed, and his heavy breathing made his speech choppy while talking.

“Falco and I are en route to you Captain,” Annie said in a more calm and collected tone, but on Levi’s map, three members of his team headed his way. “Kruger is ahead of us.” She added, and immediately irritation flared through Levi like a whip. 

“Kruger, what the fuck are you doing? I gave you an order.” Levi hissed through the com but was met with radio silence. Erwin’s legs throbbed with pain with every step, but Levi pushed the body in a teetering level of its limits.

Instead of immediately responding to Levi. A chat bubble appeared on his screen with the same request to switch players. “Stupid brat,” Even to the untrained eye, Erwin was walking the fine line of exhaustion and passing out on the floor. The injury to his thigh kept reopening like it normally would with wounded soldiers shoved into the thick of war. “I can handle the situation, you go, and defend Bertolt.” 

“Sir, Reiner’s heading my direction. All enemy movement is marked to your location. You need to leave, captain.” Bertolt reported, and the warning already buzzes through his receiver as more than a dozen enemies approached. “I think they want their commander back.”

“Then they better try next time,” Levi growled and leered at yet another message for a switch, which he didn’t even bat an eye to rejecting. 

“Commander!” A scout shouted from the broken window. A part of Levi wanted to keep fighting, and he could but Erwin’s body had other plans. The giant's legs buckled to the point that he sank to the ground.

Staring at the map didn’t help Levi in calculating time. The enemy was close enough to strike back, and his heart hammered fast, trying to keep up with every gulp of air he intakes. Plans failed to present itself to get him out.  _ You need to survive. _ A mantra that he’d lived by over and over again throughout his entire life. It kept him going, yet at the same time weighed heavily on his shoulders. Surviving and getting through life could only go on for so long. Eventually, you simply had to stop. Invisible deadweights pulled down against Levi and his character, rendering them immobile. 

Through his earpiece, he heard the anxiety lacing Hanji’s voice, but it all sounded too garbled even for him. The scout’s hooks pierced through the floorboards between Erwin. While Levi wanted desperately to move, Erwin’s whole being just disconnected entirely from his commands. A body that wasn’t even his, to begin with, Levi realized late. The character froze, and may it be a glitch in the game or a whole entire bug, LifeLine was still functioning on its own.

“If you don’t fucking move Ackerman, it’s game over!” Hanji practically screamed through his ear like she just stood over him.

He wanted to rip his own hair out of frustration as well, to yell, or do anything, just move, but none of his options worked, except “SWITCH”. The only command and word that flooded his inbox from Kruger that grabbed Levi’s attention. Why Kruger persisted to switch badly was beyond him? He never liked the man much, even in real life. The option to switch last minute meant zero time adjustment, and he’d not only lose his defense but also Erwin in one round.

“Trust me,” The words came out more like a mere whisper but had a pleading urgency that rocked Levi through his core. A voice, much younger than the gruff harsh tone of Kruger he’d been used to hear through training. 

Lured in by the pull of the voice, Levi said the one word that released broke free the chains from the mysterious character. “Switch,”

******

Sweat beaded his forehead, but if pain brought excitement, he never felt more alive than the moment he faced the brunet. Their heavy breaths filled the open field while the midday sun glared high above. The sword in his hand felt awkward in his grip. Levi’s eyes trailed after his sparring partner. A teenager, just a year after turning twenty-one, with a mop of unruly brown hair plastered to his head from the long-time they’d fought. Levi would never admit it, but his arms and legs were burning like a motherfucker. The kid had all the skills of a veteran swordsman with reflexes that could even rival him.

Of course, he wouldn’t admit that up front to a kid five years younger than him. The teen changed stance with his feet farther apart and held the two sparring swords away from his body, pointing toward the ground from his left. The oceanic orbs of his eyes shone with determination. “Aren’t you getting tired yet, old man?” The teen teased that brought a smirk to lift on Levi’s usually stoic face.

Levi switches the grip of his sparring sword and rolled his neck and shoulders. “You’re ten years too young to win against me, brat.”

The only warning Levi got before the kid lunged was the small movement he made with his right foot. Levi barely blocked the wooden sword with his own as the sharp thwack sliced through the tension in the arena. Seconds turned to minutes while the two men went into a series of lunges, kicks, side steps, and even faking a strike just to slip through their defenses. Like most of the kid’s strikes, the last one nearly numbed Levi's entire arm from the hit. Gritting his teeth, the two fighters were in such close range that their faces were mere inches from each other. Levi could pick out the unique combination in the younger fighter’s eyes. A shade of green that Levi can match it to the facets on an emerald gem. Meanwhile, the younger, stared into the grey eyes that in such intimate space, he was surprised to find specks of blue close to the pupils. Eyes that remind him so much of who he lost all those years ago. 

Levi noticed the subtle change in the expression of the younger. A falter where pain and sadness filled his expressive eyes. Just as Levi opened his mouth to speak, the teen pulled back, causing Levi to pitch forward and nearly lost his footing. On the same set of motion, the teen spun on his heel and swung both swords down hard on Levi’s back that the raven grunted in pain and crashed to the ground. He rolled onto his back, but the kid hovered the tip of his sword directly to his chest. “Dead,” the kid said softly, but the light and excitement from his eyes vanished. Both of them trying to catch their breaths. The teen stepped back after hearing the whistle signaling the end of the spar. Without a backward glance, the kid left while Levi still felt winded, but he pushed himself up to his elbows, and observe the sudden change in demeanor from the teen. 

“Hey!” He shouted, but the teen didn’t even halt, which further irritated him more and sent it to full-on disbelief and rage as the brat sprinted out from the open field, wanting nothing more to do with Levi. “What’s with that kid?” He mumbled before flopping back down on the disgusting dirt floor. Every part of him hurt, and his heart hasn't returned to a humanely acceptable speed, but...Levi felt more alive with every swing of the wooden sword with the brat.

******

He lost count of the bodies that fell to the ground after the first five, he stopped listening intently on the voices that begged him to spare them, but most of all, he hardly believed that seeing all of the action unfolding from Kruger’s perspective was a by-product of his own actions. Everything didn’t felt like it moved on autopilot. Levi moved as if he was actually there. It was like someone wiped the mist that formed on his windshield, and revealed a world full colors after the heavy fog. A slight switch in action, a twist midair, and even the heavy punch through the jaw of a scout held a familiarity of bloodshed that he knew too well. Levi truly felt Kruger’s body was an extension of his existence, if not, a missing part that completed him in battle.

When he finally snapped out from the daze, he recognized the crimson red stained the front of his shirt and coated the blades. Levi barely paid attention to the timer declared his team the victor. No one cheered, in fact, as Levi lifted his head and turned to gaze at his team, their avatars all just stared blankly at him, pale, and with a mixture of awe and horror. Erwin leaned against the wall of the office building that Levi barged into, his eyes shut, and fatigue plain on his face. Marleyan flags and banners began to raise from the walls, and hundreds of soldiers echoed through the city. “Well done Ackerman, mission accomplished.” Tybur’s voice said through the line, and one by one his team logged out from the game, leaving him with Kruger. 

Throughout the game, he hesitated to even merge and use the mysterious character, but now, Levi felt like the whole universe aligned and gave him what he truly needed to make it through the game. A weapon of mass destruction. Goosebumps raised all over his body, but he shook himself out from the mad thoughts. He definitely had way too much time playing violent games, a bottle of alcohol would remedy things. “Thanks,” he found himself mumbling even though no one was listening. 

Just as he was about to log out from the game, the same voice he heard before the switch said. “Thank you for trusting me, Levi.”

Colt dropped off Hanji in front of her apartment building at 4 AM even though the scientist convinced him of her capability to using apps like Grab to get her home. Ever dependable, she already began to think about giving her assistant a Christmas present. “Drive safely boys!” She said before hopping out of Colt’s car. His younger brother, Falco slept in the backseat. 

The events through the first wave had taken more toll with the players. After being in the game through such intensity, it pushed their adrenaline to the max. Poor Reiner suffered a vomiting fit after the stunning massacre Levi did in the game. While the commander was all too familiar with the brutality Levi can accomplish on a given command, Hanji didn’t like one bit how wild and hungry Tybur’s eyes shone on Eren’s display of prose on the field. Everyone else in the viewing room looked green and sicken by the slaughter, yet Djel and Tybur only watched with wide eyes and grim fascination. She had to minimize the exposure of Levi and Kruger’s tag teams in the game. Hanji didn’t count on Erwin’s defiance to move, or for the battle to escalate to a point that would endanger not only Erwin but Levi too.

Climbing up the stairs to her apartment, she swiped her keycard to the door and shuffled inside. The lights to her humble abode opened automatically after shutting the door. The little twinks Hanji made to her home took months just to avoid pesky neighbors from snooping into her space. She replaced the doors with a self-made security device and even installed bulletproof glass windows after the little incident with the automated paintball gun made for fun. Hanji tossed her duffle bag on the couch and started stripping off her work clothes the second she reached her bedroom. Her thoughts all buzzed with numerous ideas to better the program just to keep everyone safe. The player’s mental state was her first and foremost priority.

Once the rest of Levi’s team came out from the program, all of them were disoriented with time, and even with their bodily aches. Colt had the cadets do a late run on the treadmill until their minds accepted the reality that no injuries really assaulted them physically. Things only felt wrong as Hanji pulled Levi out from his sleeping pod. His eyes were dull, that Hanji knew the man wasn’t fully there. She feared that with all that transpired within the game was too much for his body to take. After several attempts of calling his name, Hanji resorted to simply drag her friend out of the pod. The lack of verbal protest only added to her distress. To have Levi’s full compliance to her routine check-up worried her, especially the lack of response. Tybur and Djel left after the game had announced the winners. 

“Are you alright Levi?” She asked like a person gently coaxing a frightened animal to trust them. Grey, lifeless eyes looked up at her, as his shoulders sagged. 

“No,” he said and stared at his hands as if fully offended at the sight of them. “I don’t know anymore Hanji, I...this game. I don’t know what’s going on anymore. It just feels like everything is out of my control, yet with Kruger. It just felt. Right.” 

Levi lifted his head to her and for a fraction of a second she saw a semblance of the man who she’d known for years, the man that survived many hardships, but hated the shroud of death he carried with him. Hanji never wanted Levi to go back to take the mantle, but he carried something heavier without him realizing. “Levi…” unsure of what else to say, Levi scowled.

“There’s more to this game, isn’t it. Something you’re not telling me.” He guessed, but Hanji immediately backed away and glanced around even though she scanned the room daily for bugs or any other surveillance devices. 

“I can’t tell you.” She finally said, and Levi’s hand grasped her arm, a crazed intensity filled his eyes.

“Why?” He demanded, but his tone sounded near to anger. “Is it because you think I won’t understand whatever scientific shit that comes from your mouth? Or that I’d rat you out!”

“Yes!” Hanji spat back, her voice rising that she shocked Levi. Breathing deeply, and exhaling through her mouth, Hanji didn’t look away from her friend as she spoke. “There's more to this game Levi, lives are at stake, mine...yours, and especially to the people important to us. I just can’t tell you because you’re not...ready.”

Levi blinked at her once, then twice, before rolling his eyes and stood up to retrieve his own bag from his room in Hanji’s laboratory. “I’ve seen you,” he murmured without turning to Hanji. “My memory, I saw you in it when you put me to sleep. It was you that took me to that festival, yet you pretended we only met ever since this whole project happened. Tell me Hanji, give me one good fucking reason not to report you to Tybur with the information I have against you?”

Then it hit her, the look in Levi’s eyes weren’t solely anger, but hurt. The underlying emotion that Hanji literally had the answers Levi desperately wanted but never gave. She hated the twisting pain within her as she looked at him and not tell him the whole truth. If she could lay bare everything to Levi, a part of her would be relieved that she wouldn't feel so alone anymore ever since she left home. But, Hanji only had to look at Levi's prosthetic hand, and she knew that there's no room for more sacrifices. “You don’t have anything against me, Levi.” She reminded him, and it was true. Hanji had the upper hand, not the other way around. “And I will give you one damn reason not to report me.” Her heart ached as she used the only thing that Levi longed for against him. 

She pulled out her phone and went through her gallery. Hanji scrolled down to the one thing that would change everything for Levi. “If you ever want to know what happened to Eren Yeager. Then you have to do as I say.”

The effect was instantaneous. Hanji saw how Levi’s eyes changed from confusion, to wonder, to recognition, and lastly, longing as he stared at the photo of him and Eren together under the shifting lights of the polar lights that shone high above them, as they held each other under the starry skies. She remembered the night when their little group had set off to watch the polar lights that graced Colossal Peaks. Eren promised there was a safer path up the smallest of the towering mountains, and true to his word, the day, long trek led them to see the lights up close. It was a night Hanji or any of the scouts wouldn’t forget. A night, that for Levi and Eren also carved a special memory to each other. Everyone's eyes were captivated by nature’s display of beauty that only Hanji remained aware of the little bubble of happiness that happened between the two males. Levi in the present could only look at the photo of him with so much love and warmth all over his face as he held Eren close. He went to reach out for Hanji’s phone, but as quickly as she showed it, did she also placed the phone away. 

“What happened to us?” Levi’s words were so soft that Hanji barely caught it. She wanted to tell him everything, but where they are and who we're around them, still kept her lips sealed from fully telling him the truth. Hanji could only turn her head away to avoid the pain visible in the raven’s eyes. 

“Meet me at my apartment tomorrow morning, we have a lot to discuss.” 

Hanji didn’t like to use Levi like that or even hold up bait for him just to gain the smaller man’s trust. They’d once been close friends, and even trusted allies, but then everything went into a shit storm because of Titan Research and LifeLine. In the long run, Hanji could only watch and make sure that the damage wouldn’t be permanent. After a long time in the bathtub, time in which her fingertips shriveled up from being in the water far too much, she changed into her pajamas and went straight to her laptop. Her serves were untraceable but even she wouldn’t risk taking a long time to compose her reports to Erwin and Moblit. The first order of things was to check the status of her droids over in Paradis. She sagged back on her chair in relief that all droids were safe and undamaged.

“Thank you for keeping an eye on them Moblit.” She typed in the quick gratitude to her every faithful assistant. For so long as she’d been away, Moblit had kept her up to tabs with the business which is the Survey Corps, the King, and everything in between. “The newer version of the gear should be coming in two weeks. Make sure to check them for anomalies, and then distribute them to the scouts while I go see the system updates.” 

“But what of Captain Levi and his team?” Moblit emailed back, once Hanji filled him in with her side of the simulation. She sighed, thinking about telling only a small percentage of the truth to him without breaking the man.

“Let me deal with Ackerman, I’m trying to stall enough time for you guys to continue with operation gen-c.”

“Yes, ma’am...please stay safe as well...both of you,” Moblit added. And while Hanji waited for Moblit to deliver his reports, the lull of sleep covered her like a blanket. It's been days since Hanji had any decent rest on her bed. Using the last of her energy, she hefted her laptop to her bed and laid her head on the pillow. Moblit’s probably talking with the rest of the team for their individual reports. Hanji would’ve waited until all reports are exchanged before turning in for the night, but the second she closed her eyes, she succumbed to the much-needed rest and braced for what lay ahead tomorrow.


	9. Arc 2: System Updates and Stories

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Holidays Everyone! And Happy Birthday to Humanity’s Strongest Soldier, Levi Ackerman. \ ^o^ / Welcome back to LifeLine, and this little Christmas Gift is the start of the 2nd Arc into this series. I know that there’s a lot of mystery through the previous chapters but this arc will have plenty of backstories and questions answered. As always, thank you all so much for sticking with me through the game.
> 
> PS: This chapter is pretty much unedited, so sorry for that, though I will go through and edit it out by the weekend. Also for further clarifications with the timeline in this chapter. Most of the chapter is told during the same timeframe as with Levi confronted Hanji in the previous chapter before she went home. Except with Levi's POV where it goes into the day after the First Wave.

The storm rolled in so suddenly that Eren was forced to take a taxi to Sina rather than going on horseback. He wouldn’t risk his horse through the harsh weather and there’s no harm to use Hannes’ coffers to pay for the ride. He pulled his hood over his head and leaned against the window, listening to the patter of rain against the roof of the car. So much had changed throughout the long war with Marley. Most of the farms and villages outside the districts of Wall Rose moved toward the safety of the capital. Base camps were set on intervals along the main roads that the taxi had to stop a few times just for clearance. Through the short two-hour car ride, Eren drifted between daydreaming and scrolling the news through his phone.

He wasn’t a particularly tech-savvy person like his friend Armin, in fact, aside from his camera, and phone. Eren hardly wanted to keep up with the whole world of the internet. It was Levi’s thing. Unlike Armin who introduced Eren to the basics of the computer and the magical place called YouTube. Levi on the other hand, later on, taught him the intricacies of video games. A hobby that Eren discovered the natural talent his boyfriend had for strategies. Erwin and Levi shared that same interest with games. In fact, they solidified their friendship through it. Those months together brought a smile on his face, from the places Levi literally followed him around on excursions, to the epic sex life at night. The time apart was excruciating, but his current predicament with Marley. Erwin and the King told him to practice restraint and patience (virtually two things that Eren had a limited amount of.) while they handled the problem. However, a year passed, and Moblit refused to give many details on Hanji’s side. All Eren knew for sure is that his stoic boyfriend held no recognition of him. At all. The idea that Levi literally forgot him was an entirely different kind of anger and hurt. 

A yawn escaped his mouth as he tried and failed to remain alert. Erwin and the rest of the Survey Corps were going about on their rotating shifts. Most of all available soldiers were dispatched on patrolling the outer walls or heavily involved in the grand scheme of Commander Erwin. By the time, Eren arrived at the Main Headquarters of the Survey Corps within Sina, it rained cats and dogs, a pair of recruits ushered Eren through the corridors, offering towels and even fetched him a change of clothes with how thoroughly soaked he’d been. Up to three flights of stairs, and through the long hallways. The military police would often give him fleeting glances that had that hint of recognition which Eren pointedly ignore. Moblit’s operations room was at the farthest, east wing of the establishment, where the wifi was faster and away from prying eyes and ears of the nobles like Reiss. 

“Hey Nile,” Eren waved at tall man as he stepped out of Moblit’s room. Nile’s already spared hair revealed stray white strands of age. The goatee that Nile still tried to maintain was slowly being overshadowed by the five o’clock shadow that sprouted through the edges of his jaw. The man had his bad days, and his creased filled uniform with the muddied boots was only half of the sure signs of working round the clock. 

Nile rubbed his chin and frowned while giving Eren a once over for his damp clothes. The older man crossed his arms and stood directly between the door and Eren. “No way in hell are you going in there like some wet stray from the storm.” He nodded toward the room to the left while Eren chuckled and grabbed the spare clothes from the recruit. “Erwin’s already waiting inside,” Nile added over his shoulder before waving goodbye.

The man still didn’t know how to approach him and the feeling was mutual. Nile once did try to force him into the Military Police’s custody, and then there’s him who nearly burned down One of the cities to the ground. Eren’s pretty sure there’s no going around the awkward air or the unnecessary apologies. He just ducked into the storage room and quickly changed out of his uniform. The recruit gave him a simple black hoodie, a pair of grey sweatpants that had that distinct smell of mothballs. From experience, he smelled out funky things off from spare clothes, and mothballs didn’t make the top ten he wore out of desperation. If anything, he can just picture which attic or long forgotten locker did the sweatpants came from, but he shrugged it on rather than being reprimanded by Rico or Moblit about moisture on the sensitive electronics in the laboratory. 

Once he’s deemed decent enough, he folded up his clothes and rolled them up while using his green cloak as a makeshift laundry bag before shoving them in his bag. Eren gave the door a few knocks before the door swung inward and the bleary face of his close friend, Armin greeted him. “Eren!” The blue-eyed boy grinned and pulled him inside. Moblit’s laboratory reminded Eren of every spy movie he used to enjoy watching with Levi. The huge computer screens that lined one wall and the whiteboard tacked with so many photos, information, and blueprints of Marley’s military forces. It’s the heart of the Survey Corp’s cyber investigation unit. Which ironically began thanks to this war. The long table where most of where the LifeLine’s equipment was placed alongside the long distant transmitters. Cluttered around the damaged gear from the first wave was the special operation squadron. Erwin at the head of the table, Mikasa to his right, while Connie and Jean were hunched over the video feed of the recent battle where Levi swept the field as a one-man army.

“Where’s Moblit?” Eren asked as he joined Mikasa by the table, and nudged her with his shoulder. 

Mikasa lifted her head and tore her eyes from the map of Wall Rose and gave him a small smile. “He went out to tell the post office about the parcel heading our way.” 

“Hanji’s sending us gifts, or I hope they are,” Erwin added, but only further confused Eren. “After the first wave, the transmitters and receptors of my gear are malfunctioning. Although Moblit promised he could fix it, it turns out Hanji got orders from Tybur about sending replacements to the Marleyan port along Paradis Beach. Apparently, She’s planning to update the systems soon.”

Eren stiffened and crossed his arms. Securing the Marleyan port after the battle on the beach cost them more than just men. The surprise attack by the enemy nearly overpowered them. Evacuating the villagers, and making sure no Marleyans escaped the port city came with Levi as a price. That night, Tybur wanted a war trophy and while he didn’t get him, the snake managed to get his strongest warrior back. Eren would’ve been the suicidal bastard as he was to attempt on rescuing Levi if Jean and Sasha didn’t hold him back. The first week from the separation was the hardest he’d endured. Being used to the lingering presence of Levi’s at the back of his mind, the numbing silence between their forged bond nearly drove Eren insane. It got to the point that Erwin had to not only detain but restrained Eren in shackles just to make sure he didn’t run for his bi-plane, cross the sea and rescue Ackerman. Eventually, his friends convinced him to follow along with the plan and bide his time, but it took another month before Erwin trusted him enough not to act independently. By the time he could function normally, or as normal as a person was. 

He tried, oh he tried so hard not to think of the worst possible scenario that happened to Levi after leaving the subspace of LifeLine. The Levi Ackerman that he knew was a proud man, and very independent, that if the raven physically saw the state Eren was in, the older ma would’ve scolded him for worrying when it's not needed. 

“Earth to Eren?” Jean snapped his fingers in front of Eren’s face, that he belatedly realized all eyes were on him. “Geez, are you still even with us?”

“Um yeah, sorry, I was just...sidetracked.” His reason was lame and he knew it, though his commander gave him a sympathetic smile, and tapped the end of his pen on the malfunctioning helmet on the table. 

“We were discussing how to deal with the new system updates. Moblit and Hanji might need to test out the gear on a live run, and with the current settings that Levi made, it means one of us has to deal with the trial run.” Erwin briefed before he crossed his arms over his broad chest and exhaled deeply. “My main concern, however, is the uncertainties of this system upgrades. Hanji promised that most of the updates are software-based, where she promised that Colt worked round the clock to improve the transmittal of commands between player and avatar droid.”

“So the big question mark would be about what hardware upgrades Djel placed on the physical gear.” Armin summarized and a heavy shroud of uncertainty filled the room. Connie scratched his head and huffed in his seat.

“Why can’t we just get those new gear and just set them aside then? Our gears are working fine.” Connie countered which earned him a smack on the back of his head by Jean.

“Weren’t you listening? One gear is not working properly if we run a simulation with faulty gear they’d notice something is up and fly by to see that this is all a big joke.” Jean put it bluntly, just as Moblit burst into the room, breathing heavily with shoulders drenched from running through the rain. 

The scientist stood straighter and briskly made his way toward the Commander. “Sorry it took so long, calling the scouts stationed by the harbor was hard with the storm, but they promise to keep their eyes out for any ship or plane carrying the new version of gears.” Moblit’s brown hair stood in odd angles from the strong winds outside that could rival Eren’s untamable mop on his head. Dark circles would soon engrave permanently under Moblit’s eyes from the bad sleeping pattern he’d developed ever since the game commenced. However, the determination still kept that spark in his eyes even as he spoke to the commander. “I’ve talked to Hanji and she’ll try to test run the gear as soon as we receive it. Eren, your job is to make sure that Levi doesn’t make any more stupid decisions in the game.” 

Eren tried not to roll his eyes at the comment or laugh. His early idea that Levi knew a thing or two about gaming was thrown out the window by Erwin’s remark. Levi did make some bad choices in the game, but he knew that the undertone of Erwin’s words went along the lines like “Don’t make the same fuck up of trying to reach out to him when he’s not ready.” if anything else, Eren just nodded and stayed quiet for the rest of the meeting. Most of Moblit’s words just went from one ear and out the other from the number of scientific jargon he spewed. Once Moblit started, there’s no telling when he’d stop. Eventually, even Connie couldn’t keep up with the topic and made an excuse to head out since it’s his time for the shift. Jean followed soon after. Erwin, Armin, and Moblit continued on the heavier topics of mapping out the next wave and making sure that Trost took hold of minimal damage. Only Mikasa noticed the change of Eren’s behavior and reached down under the table to give his hand a quick squeeze of assurance. 

“How long before Hanji cracks the chip?” Erwin finally got to the point that Eren desperately wanted to voice out a similar question. He perked up, and mentally facepalmed himself from the sudden interest in the topic. Moblit only ran his fingers through his hair and shook his head, immediately extinguishing the small light of hope in his chest. 

“Levi’s being watched round the clock in the research facility, Hanji’s only window with him is when he’s physically asleep within her lab, or in LifeLine. Tybur even watches over most of the simulation, so any anomalies on the chip might kill both of them.”

The last part hung like a shroud of dread over the room, that frustrated Eren to no end. “Just send me to get him please, I can get him out. You know I can.” Eren pleaded with his own commander, and Erwin’s glacier eyes hardened on him that he nearly regret mentioning the idea even when he told it more than once before.

“Remember that while Levi is on enemy territory, you answer to my commands Yeager, just as before. The answer is still no.” Erwin must’ve seen the sad excuse of his state that even though the meeting was soon adjourned he asked Eren to stay behind.

A part of Eren thought he’d finally get chewed off by Erwin from all the mistakes he’d made, but once his closest friends and Moblit left the room, the commander’s shoulders sagged in a way that Eren could literally feel just how truly exhausting it was for the man to be leading the entire operations on the war. Erwin slumped onto the chair and gestured for Eren to sit closer to him. “I know that the past year has been rough for you...and Levi.” Erwin started off, and he knew first hand from the years of knowing the man, how little moments there were for Smith to sound so unsure of what to say. To say the least, the past year placed a strain on his working relationship with the tall blond man. 

“I just...miss him,” Eren couldn’t even put into words how he felt about being completely helpless even after everything Levi did for him. 

“To think that curt talking clean freak is making us do this one year in the running plan just to rescue him. Levi owes us both a good long vacation.” Erwin said with a short laugh and even Eren couldn’t help but smirk at the thought.

“I’d punch him in the face for the amount of shit I’d done just to know he’s okay,” Eren added before the large hand of Erwin rested at the top of his head and ruffled it up.

“Step by step okay, Hanji already gave us the window to reach out to him. Just give him time and hopefully, we can get him back alright.”

If only I had more time. Eren thought but for the commander, he gave a grin and mustered enough energy to reply. “Let’s plan the next excursion then.”

\----------

He checked and double-checked the algorithms for the upgraded software that his assistant managed to finish before he sent the gear to Marley. Djel only feared that once the gear activated, it did nothing and only functioned like the normal LifeLine gear. At the early hours of five in the morning, Djel’s team worked through the night to monitor the movement of the cargo on the ship sailing to Marley. While Tybur gave him the orders to alter the gear’s internal system, making it near the same as Zoe’s handiwork without tripping any anomalies in the system proved to be a challenge.

Before Djel was given the all-clear to send the parcel away, Tybur called him the last minute with only a single instruction. “Do a whole recon on the Marleyan port base at Eldia discreetly, find out anything you can about Hanji’s LifeLine program droids.”

When Zoe first came to him with the idea of sending droids using his long-range transmitter technology, he would’ve flat out rejected the collaboration, but Tybur urged him to take the deal. Djel wouldn’t even dare to work with such sketchy and deranged mad-scientist. He remembered vividly years ago how the commander didn’t even hesitate to bring the Eldian into Titan even with her less than impressive streak of failed inventions. “Why are you even giving her a penny for such a useless game?” Djel all but said while pacing the length of Tybur’s office. The well-dressed man hardly looked up from his computer at the flustered lead research in Titan. 

Only a handful of times did Tybur directly took control over Titan. He simply just letting the scientists within the facility operate on their own and report back to the government about their monthly ideas. Tybur planted himself an office within the building the second Ackerman was brought within the medical wing. “How’s Ackerman’s recovery doing?” Tybur chimed that completely shifted the topic a whole one-eighty at Djel.

Djel shook his head but held back his tongue on how inconsiderate his own boss was to the field of research and development. While he did indulge in the idea of studying Ackerman’s whole recovery period after the number of toxins he’d inhaled in fifteen minutes on the beach. Djel checked the latest updates on the man’s health on the tablet and grimaced. “Hanji’s round the clock on checking his vitals. To say the least, he suffered very minimal internal bleeding, he should regain consciousness soon.” 

“I see,” Tybur murmured before cupping his chin with his hand. If Djel couldn’t read his commander’s mind today, he definitely didn’t during the time when they’ve retrieved Ackerman from Paradis Beach. He would’ve been proud himself of being able to keep up with the scheming of Tybur, but the only other person who might come close to Tybur’s line of thinking was Zeke Yeager. As Djel waited for Tybur’s decision on Levi’s punishment for treason against Marley, a wicked smile lifted on the corners of the man’s face. “Djel, you’ve once proposed a request for test subjects on your chip. How about we strike a deal.”

The decision to use the chip for LifeLine had him sweating for any flaw in the gear. _Did he match it to Zoe’s frequency when communicating with the players during the initial game? What if the chip failed to activate once the game began? Tybur must know the risk of fusing LifeLine’s gameplay with the chip’s function?_ All these questions ran through his head over and over, until there’s virtually nothing else he could hope for but triple the firewalls against any attempt in overriding his system to the chips. While he busied himself with rechecking the firewalls, one of his subordinates came up to him timidly with a folder in hand.

“Sir, these are the recent findings on the droids at Paradis.” 

“Well don’t just stand there, hand it over!” He snapped, and the younger female flinched and hurriedly explained the report.

“Co-commander Tybur’s hunch was right. None of the droids function in sync with the transmitters from the main data within Hanji’s laboratory. This means that the droids' motor functions and its video feed does not happen in the same timestamp.”

Djel froze in his tracks and flipped through the files, and sure enough, the numbers the computers fed and the timestamps from the transmitters didn’t match. In fact, the LifeLine gear even had a delay in relaying the command to the motion system of five minutes. “So, are you saying that the droids moved on their own?” Djel all but nearly screamed when the realization of the game finally made sense to him. The whole game was a lie.

Everyone within the laboratory visibly flinched and glanced at anything but their boss, until the soft sound of Tybur’s laughter filled the space. “You fucking knew Zoe’s droids were pieces of shit.” Djel hissed while glaring at Tybur’s triumphant smirk as the commander walked over to his desk and leaned against the control panel.

“I knew that machines can only function to a certain degree of cyber intelligence that it’s bound to make rookie mistakes. Professor Zoe made the droids and the game appear far too real with rarely a visible glitch...unless we count that unrecorded jump in the simulation they did one evening.” Djel wanted to rip the remaining patch of hair on his head with how calm and collected Tybur remained while taking in the fact that Zoe not only tricked them but might have other motives for LifeLine than he initially thought.

“So why aren’t we shutting this whole operation down then? It’s clearly compromised!”

Tybur’s eyes widen in shock at Djel’s clear near panic attack before laughing so hard, tears formed. “Ah, Djel, for a smart man, you are simply naive on taking on possibilities with the given situation before us.” the commander patted Djel on the shoulder and glanced at one of the monitors that had a clear view of one of the security cameras at the port in Paradis Beach. “If they want to play with fire, then we must add fuel to remind them how dangerous it is to get burned.

\----------

At a given point in time, Levi should have given himself a medal for being able to stay awake and running on adrenaline for more than eighteen hours. He couldn’t sleep, and sleeping through the simulation doesn’t count anymore since it just left him feeling totally spent and tired than before he jumped into the game. What Hanji showed him before leaving the facility rattled him, mainly because of the way his heart twisted painfully. Its as if Levi was struck by lightning and the night of where the photo was taken flashed through him like a movie in fast forward.

While he stared at the ceiling of his temporary room in Hanji’s laboratory, he thought that night as if it were only yesterday. Levi sat at the shotgun seat of the truck with the commander, Erwin. He couldn’t remember the exact words and conversation exchanged, but throughout the long, bumpy and very cold ride up the rugged trail in the woods, Levi kept glancing at the green-eyed boy wedged between a blond kid with a coconut-shape haircut, and the avatar that Reiner used in the game, named Mikasa. The three brats were busy talking about some silly stories about curses and ghosts in the forest, but Levi’s interest kept going toward the boy with the vibrant forest eyes. His heart would skip a beat whenever the kid lifted his eyes toward him, and then to Erwin, explaining where to turn or slow down. Levi didn’t particularly care that they were driving up the mountains in the middle of the night, he just tagged along just Eren wanted to go, and only he knew the mountain like it's his second home. 

“The polar lights are so cool, and they’re just like these waves across the night sky,” Eren said while looking through the window. In a car behind them, was Hanji’s own van that struggled up the road. By the time they reached the clearing, all snarky comments on being in the middle of nowhere, with no cellphone signal and babysitting brats died in his mouth. 

Erwin pulled up the car and similar to the three cadets at the back, his expression held nothing short of amazement. Long waves of golden lights that gradually shifted to neon blues, greens and red danced across the starry horizon. “You have to admit, this is cool.” Erwin finally admitted, and the spell of captivation ended by the banshee shrieking of Hanji. The woman practically bounded out of her car and raced toward the snowy field with her telescope. A tall man in a black leather jacket shouted for her to be careful and proceeded to run after her, leaving the car to stall and their passengers to tentatively edge out with jaw-dropped faces.

“Come on!” Eren’s friend yelled before joining Hanji. Levi watched the three raced toward the clearing, as a small girl with large blue-grey eyes initiated a snowball fight with a horse-faced two-toned hair boy that had his ear muffs dangling around his neck. 

Levi eventually stepped out and leaned against the truck with Erwin right beside him, enjoying a quick smoke while the rest of the cadets (and Hanji) had a battle in the snow like some preschool snow day activity. “You’re right,” Levi found himself admitting just as Eren threw a large chunk of snow at Hanji right at her face. He smiled, before lifting his head toward the golden lights that almost seem to be trying to reach down and touch the snow-dusted treetops. “I like Eren, but I don’t want to bring him to Marley when I eventually return.”

Erwin merely nodded his head and took brew a thin trail of smoke from his lips. “He’s bound to you, Lance Corporal. And while he didn’t particularly warm up to the idea as you did. Eren couldn’t be luckier to have you.” The last part stuck to Levi. All his life, never once had he tried to build any emotional attachments to anyone. If he tried, none ever last. His mother died, even when he begged her not to leave him as a kid. Two of his closest friends, Isabel and Farlan also died during the storm surges that swept them toward the sea. 

No one was lucky to have him, and he eventually gave up on being too close to anyone. For the most part, he’d been glad that his uncle didn’t want him and gave Levi the ticket to another country where no one knew him. The cultural difference and the language barrier for his first year kept everyone at arm’s length. Yet, the feisty, and very strong-willed kid managed to ram his way through his heart as if it were nothing. As he watched Eren slowly drift farther from the group and walked off on his own with the camera in hand, he realized just how in some very odd just pleasing way, how the kid was just like him. Unsure of his own place in the world but wanting to feel something...to be alive. 

“Go on, he’s practically waiting for you.” Erwin mused before Levi even realized that his feet shuffled to move towards Eren just as natural as the planets gravitate toward the sun. 

The crunch of snow didn’t hide his steps toward the kid. Eren even turned to him, his cheeks flushed, probably from how cold the evening truly was. Levi huffed with the slow and clumsy steps that he felt like an idiot. The snow sucked on his boots up to his calves. When he finally reached Eren, the kid stretched his hand out and laughed. “Need a help old man?”

On any other occasion, Levi would’ve brushed off the helping hand toward him, but the need to feel that kid’s skin, and lacing their fingers together even with the thin protection of his gloves was greater. “Where are you even going brat?” He shot back and took Eren’s hand. During the brief touches of their skin, a jolt of electricity traveled through his body that soon followed with the seeping warmth of his tanned skin. Levi used to fear the sensation, but eventually gladly accepted the simple gestures. 

Eren’s face visibly lit up like a Christmas tree before tugging Levi further on. “Want to see a great view?” 

_ You’re the only view I need. _ Levi wanted to say and almost kicked himself with how sappy he sounded. Together, they left the merriment of laughter on the field and trudged through the far edge of the clearing. Levi stared at the back of Eren’s head, and for others, knowing that he stood inches shorter than the kid would’ve offended him, plus the fact that he blindly trusted the scout to lead the way. None of those mediocre things mattered to him anymore but the sound of his heart beating loudly the more he fully comprehends the insane amount of trust he’s giving the kid he just met five months ago. Eventually, Eren stopped and turned with that endearing shy grin on his face. The kid pulled Levi to his side and nodded toward the breathtaking view before them. 

The two soldiers stood at the edge of a cliff that had a clear view of Eldia’s walled nation below them. The kingdom glistened in multitudes of color, but Levi could clearly distinguish the festive colors that marked the three tall walls. Red for Maria, Blue for Rose, and Green for Sina. From how far up they were, the kingdom shaped like a monstrous sized dartboard, but with the flickering lights of the city, and the gentle waves of polar lights above them, the setting gave it an ethereal atmosphere straight out from a children’s fantasy story. “Of all the lights that shone in the sky, it’s home that shines the brightest.” He found himself murmuring the very words his mother used to say to him in comfort during the bad storms that blew against their fragile home.

Eren turned to him in surprise at the words and shocked Levi further by lacing their fingers together instead of simply holding the other’s palm. “My first master had a daughter that used to say that as well,” Eren spoke softly and laughed, a sound that even made Levi smile back at him. “Angels above, I couldn’t even remember her face after all these years, but the second you said it, I see her smile and hear her voice.” He sighed and squeezed Levi’s hand as if to bring him back to the present while he continued to listen to his story. “I miss her.”

They spoke more about their past, and though most of their conversations had blurred in Levi’s memories, what he couldn’t forget even as he tried to toss and turn in his bed that night is how the warmth spread throughout his body as he held Eren close and the feeling of their lips finally touching. He didn’t remember who said it first, but he knew that it was the start of when he truly felt happy and loved since his mother died.

As the sun rose to greet the new day, Levi booked the first taxi to Hanji’s apartment and gave the address to the driver. He couldn’t take it anymore, the memory of that first kiss under the winter skies engraved itself at the front of his mind that Levi mentally couldn't think of anything else. Levi just sent a short message to Hanji, telling her that he was on his way over, but when the driver pulled up to Hanji’s apartment, just on the west side of the city. Levi had to admit, he’d been shocked to find her living on the nicer side of the capital. Her apartment building was right across the Main Shopping district for the rich and nobles of Marley. The luxury brands and five-star hotels lined the whole block, and Hanji’s apartment building even had those fancy maiden fountains at the front. 

None of the touches of refinery appealed to Levi as he made his way into the apartment building and asked the front desk about Hanji’s unit. The nice woman behind the counter gave him a spare key to apartment 1225, which ironically was also Levi’s birthday. It seemed that Hanji already gave the lady instructions on what to do when he arrived. Taking the elevator to the 12th floor, Levi first knocked on Hanji’s door but got no response even when he all but pounded hard. “Shitty glasses must still be asleep.” He muttered while holding his phone up to his ear but met with her same voice message. 

Eventually, Levi reasoned out that Hanji had anticipated sleeping in on him, and gave the spare key. Shrugging, he used the key to get in and counted back from twenty and the cluttered filled space of Hanji’s home. Boxes piled on top of other boxes of books lined up along the entryway of her home. The shelves within her living room held her various half-finished inventions and odd rock collection. Levi spotted the heaping pile of dirty laundry on the beige la-z-boy by the tv and the abandoned dirty dishes on the kitchen sink. Of course, he should’ve expected the worst from how Hanji kept her lab, but the only thing that Levi was grateful for came with the fact, Hanji kept her hoarding to a minimal. Before his OCD went into overdrive and cleaned the place from top to bottom, Levi needed to find the person in question. He ventured into the only other open door in her apartment and found the scientist passed out under the covers, with her laptop left open next to her.

With Hanji sprawled across her bed with her sorry excuse for a rat’s nest hair and drooling in her sleep, Levi would’ve just left her for a while and cleaned her house when the message on her computer caught his attention. 

_ Moblit, _

_ How you doing! There’s a storm your way so the parcel of new gear might probably be delayed, but nonetheless, I want you to do a quick scan on the gear to see if there’s anything weird that the geezer placed in it. Also, I’m sorry that Erwin’s gear malfunction through the game, I did try to warn Levi, but you know how he’s like. The next simulation won’t start until you get the gear. Even Djel needs to be updated on the parcel. I won’t be able to message you anytime soon until four days before the next simulation. Stay dry, and I miss you guys! _

_ Hanji _

Levi nearly jumped out of his skin as he shifted the laptop back to its original position just as Hanji’s hand wrapped around her wrist. Her eyes were still half glazed with sleep but sat up and grinned right at him. “Good morning shorty, you’re here early.”

“You fucking gave the spare key to the lady downstairs, so I might as well invite myself in the dumpster you call home.” He shot back earning him that crazed laughter he’d grown used to.

“Are you hungry? I have some leftover pizza we can heat up!” She hopped out of bed and tied her hair up, that Levi watched her go to the kitchen before relaxing at he managed to get away from snooping at her email. He’d definitely have to ask Hanji more than just an explanation of the photo. If anything she owed him a lot of explaining to do. Following her to the kitchen, the scientist did apologize for the mess, to which he spared her the lecture about being a decent human being than a slob. The woman didn’t even seem offended, and lately, Levi realized that through the times they’ve worked together, Hanji almost seemed to beam whenever he spoke at her that way. Other people would’ve been too offended by his harsh way of speaking. 

Heating up the leftovers in the microwave, Hanji made quick work in washing up two thick mugs and started the coffeemaker. “This’ll be a long talk, so would you like some coffee?” She asked before placing her phone on the kitchen counter. Levi sat on the barstool next to the bowl of fresh fruits and toaster and shook his head. He might learn to trust Hanji, but he’d never trust her half-assed way of washing dishes. 

“No thanks,” he said back and frowned while the woman avoided the big elephant in the room which he just shot blankly to the point. “Hanji, we need to talk remember.” Levi started that Hanji gave a very fake laugh at. “I’m serious, tell me how do you fucking know Eren Yeager and who is he exactly?” 

The minute Hanji’s phone buzzed, a part of him wondered if the whole universe truly was against him. Hanji may look relieved but Levi had enough stalling, the two of them reached for Hanji’s phone at the same time, but Levi was quicker. Even though he’s shorter than the scientist, he’s a lot stronger and nimble enough to lock Hanji’s arms behind her and answer the call from the man he only heard so much from Colt. 

“Your old assistant is calling, I suggest you keep the talk short,” Levi said and placed the call on speakerphone. 

“Moblit! Hey wassup.” Hanji said through her awkward position, while the loud sound of someone tapping away on the keyboard could be heard. 

“Hanji? We got some trouble,...someone's going through the system for a while and the game is acting weird.” 


	10. Conflicting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sup everyone! Welcome back to LifeLine! We are now in 2020 and due to a lot of outings with my family and back-to-back projects with work. I barely had time to sit down and, well, write. Buuut I got the next few chapters laid out in advance. However, with my workload, no concrete promises on when’s the next update. Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed the New Year and here’s more adventures. Massive thank you guys for being a part of reading LifeLine. Enjoy the chapter! :)
> 
> PS: I will get through editing this chapter and the previous one more critically next time, so sorry for any grammatic mistakes here and there. 
> 
> -Dee

Every day came as a whirlwind of twists and turns whenever it involved working with Hanji Zoe, they bickered and reached to points where Levi would’ve wanted to murder the mad scientist because of her antics. Things were different that morning. As if a switch flipped within Hanji and a sense of urgency overtook the woman. She barely even acknowledged Levi anymore and went back to her bedroom to grab the sleek laptop from her bed. Fingers tapping across the keyboard so fast, Levi barely even paid attention to the changing code and windows on the screen.

“Moblit keep talking, you’re on speaker since my hands are busy.” then, she added, after a minute of pause. “I have company.”

“ _ Is it safe to talk then? _ ” The fluid language of Eldia came from the other end of the call. Levi rolled his eyes and took the phone himself while Hanji resumed her manic speed typing.

“ _ There are no enemies here, _ ” Levi answered back in their mother tongue. He knew of the phrase that Eldians used whenever soldiers would march through cities and seaside villages. 

“Levi?” Moblit’s tone went up a pitch in surprise, and while Levi expected for Hanji to laugh at the shock, she began to blur out her findings on the program. 

“Someone’s going through the database. I’m trying to access all of the internal programs of the game through my laptop, but it’s not enough.” Hanji turned to him with the stern, yet determined eyes. “We need to get to the research facility.”

After saying the words, Hanji darted out of the kitchen again and ran straight for her room. Not even a minute later did Levi heard a loud thud as if the woman slipped and raced out again with a pile of clothing in one hand and tossing the phone to his general direction. Out of reflexes, Levi reached out enough to catch the phone and hear the subtle loud shouting at the other end of the call. “ _ Hanji! You really need to update your system because whatever this spying bug going through the program is fast.” _

“Hanji took a shower,” Levi answered for Moblit as the sound of running water came from her bathroom.

“ _ Ahh fuck _ ,” While Levi liked to imagine it was all that the mysterious Moblit had to say, there were other profanities said in Eldian, but Levi was at a loss on what he said. 

“Tell him that we’re heading back to the facility and try to get at the bottom of this! Monitor that bug or try to stall it before it does any permanent damage!” Hanji yelled loud enough that even Moblit got the message. 

Without even care of having a house guest, the mad scientist burst through the door, barely covered by the towel and struggling into a pair of black slacks and an unironed yellow buttoned shirt. 

“ _ Call me back when you get to the facility, the power is going on and off over here because of the storm. I can only put up a temporary firewall until you get there. _ ” After a brief moment of silence, a quiet chuckle came from Moblit’s other end of the line before speaking again. “I hope you’re doing well, sir.” 

Levi wanted to ask if the man knew him, but he was physically yanked out of his seat by Hanji and led out of the door before he could even protest to being dragged around. “I’ll explain everything on the way.” She said while jabbing her thumb on the down button of the elevator.

“You better, four-eyes.” He muttered back, and even from the corner of his eye, he saw how pale Hanji went.

There’s never been a day that the brunet would tell him how LifeLine had been her very first fully functional project that the government-supported. She never openly admitted to Levi why she made the program in the first place, but the importance of her project spoke in volumes with how much she cared about even the finer details of the game. As they descended, she already began to book a taxi and nearly sprinted out the lobby while Levi followed at a more casual pace. It was still too early for any of the researchers at the facility to time in, or head out from the night shift. Hanji didn’t own a car, and Levi’s car was parked back at his own home. Not even giving the driver the chance to properly park by the sidewalk did Hanji charged the vehicle and dove inside.

“Calm the shit down Hanji!” Levi already on his wits end since he saw no urgency for the situation. “No one’s dying from a faulty game.” He slumped back in his seat while Hanji quickly told the address of Titan research and gave the driver a hefty tip if he drove like speedometers and car tickets didn’t exist.

“Lives  _ are _ at stake.” He barely caught the words from her while the manic glint in her eyes came back on full with glee. Hanji tapped the shoulder of the driver again and added. “If police stop you, tell them it’s for science.”

“Don’t be a shit head.” Levi spat back, but the driver sped through the streets after the assurance (and Hanji forcibly getting Levi to show his ID) that Levi and Hanji were definitely, in fact, part of the Marleyan Military, and to his surprise, the driver did recognize his name. 

Weaving between cars and breaking all the speeding limits, the driver had that glint in his eyes as if eager to serve Marley’s strongest wolf. “Who knew you were a celebrity, Ackerman.” 

He wouldn’t even give a flying fuck about his reputation. Of course, though, he had been aware for a while about how others saw him after he’d rise through the ranks. The ruthless wolf of Marley, the silver-eyed killer, and many other names and overkilled stories that he lost count. “You’re not getting out sleek free from explaining Hanji.” Levi reminded her, even with how the scientists avoided looking at him directly in the eye. She kept her hands busy by wiping the lenses of her glasses and then fumbling with the strap of her lanyard that held the keycard through the facility.

Within the confines of the taxi, and the small window that separated them from the driver, it was now or never for Levi to confront her. “I thought you cut off ties from Eldia since the war began.” He started, while Hanji kept her gaze at some far off point out the window. Levi could see the gears turning in her head as she analyzed the situation. Unless she willingly jumped out of a moving car to avoid the topic. “Though, it seems you and Moblit are still good friends, so what gives Zoe?”

“I never said I worked alone in the project,” Hanji muttered, and with his pointed glare insistent on her to continue, she sighed and leaned her head to the window. “Moblit make sure the LifeLine droids are functional and ready for action with every simulation we do in LifeLine. He’s responsible for maintenance and moving the droids from one area to another for our game.”

“You’re putting him in the middle of danger.” Levi realized the high risk of untested technology in the practical field. Moblit would be putting himself in a position where he would be helping the enemy on Eldian grounds. The King might even charge Moblit for treason. 

“Moblit has a safe passage from Marley, I made sure he is well protected by the soldiers stationed along with the abandoned cities and villages of Eldia.” Hanji countered, but from the way she couldn’t even look directly at him, he wanted to push on what the woman was hiding from him. “Don’t tell Tybur,” she added hastily but almost pleading with him not too. 

Outside, the sky darkened, and lightning flared through the horizon. The storm almost seemed above the city, but it would pass, and reach landfall in Eldia soon. “Then start convincing me.”

As the first raindrop fell from the heavens, Hanji told Levi half the truth, not wholly but the reason LifeLine came to be. “Three years ago, I lost some important people from my research team. We were going through dangerous territories in Colossal Peaks. It was research on ancient titan crystals that grew deep within the mountains. Moblit led much of that research, I was just happy to make useful equipment to get them through without much necessary weight on their packs.” Hanji rested her chin on the palm of her hand while the slow-moving traffic inched along the road. “Due to a lot of complications, the King and the Military Police didn’t approve of a team of eight to go through the mountains. It was a high risk, especially with our request to get samples. You probably don’t remember this, but you were within the capital during the months when Moblit and I were forced to stay behind to monitor any anomalies during the team’s excursion.”

The small memory of Levi being led by Hanji out of a dusty workroom for a festival came to mind, but he stayed quiet and secretly was glad about the fact that whatever deity is actually giving him the treasured time to grasp on answered he needed since his brain began to fuck him up. “The workshop with the crap excuse of radio was where you work.” He guessed, and Hanji let out a loud laugh at the mention of the radio.

“I’ll have you know that that radio was my very first invention from scrap metal pieces.” She bemused and crossed her arms over her chest. “Anyways, to cut the story short, a week into the excursion, communications between my team began to reduce to nothing but static. Our visuals from their head cameras kept us on track, but they were virtually blind through the heavy fog. Our sensors were working fine but because of the noise, and the zero visibility of the human eye, it got difficult.” Levi tried not to appear too engrossed in the story, but he had leaned closer to Hanji while the rain pattered hard against the window. 

Like the story Hanji was telling, the outside world barely existed. “Moblit and I tried to warn them, tell them to head for the direction we would direct for shelter through the fog, but they never came out of the mountains alive.” Her voice came out with so much sadness that even though Levi wasn’t a touchy-feeling person, he had that urge to comfort her but also knew such intimate gesture isn’t even his forte. Heck, he barely even manage to reciprocate someone’s embrace. 

“Don’t give me that look, Ackerman, give me a hug.” The breath was knocked out of Levi’s lungs as Hanji tackled him. Levi just froze, tensed up and stiff as a board for several seconds until she finally let's go and pouted at him. “Geez, you used to hug me all the time, my little powder puff.” 

“Doubt it.” He said back just as the taxi pulled up to the familiar drop-off area of the facility. Besides him, Hanji chuckled, but the tension she carried from home had dropped after the light banter. Levi did realize then that maybe he wasn’t the only one good at keeping a good poker face. The subtle warning of Tybur to not trust the scientist remained at the back of his mind. “How does this all connect to Eren Yeager then?” They danced around the topic way too much for him to keep ignoring the question that nagged at the back of his mind.

It was raining cats and dogs outside, but lucky for them, the short distance to the entryway ensured they wouldn’t be leaving puddles through the entire floor. Hanji squeezed his hand and stared directly at his eyes then, unwavering and full of focus. “It all connects back to him and surviving this war.”

Their footsteps echoed through the near-empty corridors of the medical technology wing of the facility. Levi was used to the occasional chatter of doctors and scientists or the consistent beep and whirl of machines, even the wild roaming robot sweeper that he’d come to appreciate around the hallways was around. At 6:30 in the morning, after the long night of the first wave, the whole floor was abandoned by people, except them. As recluse as Levi reduced to in weeks, the silence did bother him even with Hanji chattering away even as she strutted back into her lab. For a while, Levi’s used to the whole routine during the day...or afternoon. Someone would brew coffee throughout the entire day and even through the night. Then the never-ending babble of Hanji went on and only pausing if she had to leave the lab or eat. However, things took a whole different turn for Levi that day. Maybe he should’ve noticed it sooner, as he delved into the simulations and all the time he’d spent in the lab, maybe he should’ve realized that his murky memories were the start of something a lot larger than he thought.

The second Hanji and he stepped into the lab, it's as if as switched flipped in Hanji. She started talking loudly, and animatedly waving her arms around like an overdramatic wannabe artist that got kicked out of drama class. “I can’t fucking believe the program is glitching...AGAIN!” She wailed and added to the effect of slumping down on her usual desk, but she secretly took out her phone and started typing. “I need to call Colt over before noon just to make sure no more glitches happen in the upcoming simulations. I can’t have Djel up me over this.” 

** _ Check for cameras and bugs in the lab on my cue.  _ **

“Levi, since you’re the only available pair of hands around, I think Colt left the hard drive where we store all the files regarding the game. It’s just somewhere around the lab, mind looking for it?” She clasped her hands together in a pleading gesture before him, but he got the message. He didn’t need to act like she did since he’d only moved and talk as he normally would, but even he felt a change in the air at the mention of bugs. Suddenly, everything within the moderately-sized laboratory alienated him. What once was familiar, became a walking landmine. 

“What does it look like shit-face?” He made his way toward the medicine cabinets and rummaged through the drawers while his eyes scanned between the glass bottles and labeled containers. Then he noticed it, one of the drawer knobs felt larger on his left hand than on his right. Levi turned the larger knob just enough to loosen it from the base of the drawer. The bright red dot on the small listening device immediately held his attention for the briefest moment. Slowly, he readjusts the knob back in place and further examined the rest of the medicine cabinet. 

“It's just a rectangular slim box Levi, you could mistake it for a wallet and it has my initials on it,” Hanji answered, as she spoke, Levi moved the bottles of multivitamins until he revealed a portion of a camera hidden between photos of Eldia and Hanji in her weird teenage phase of braces. Inspecting every single inch of the room, meticulously going through every piece of furniture, and items, even going as far as critically observing Hanji’s wall of charts and framed doctorates. By the time he finished his inspection as if knowing without turning away from her computer, Hanji spoke again. “Leeeevi! I found it! It was in my drawers all along.” She waved the hard drive to his direction, which automatically fixed a glare on his features.

He sat beside Hanji and whacked her upside on the head. “You made me look for nothing dimwit.” Then he raised his right hand up to show all five of his fingers before tapping his index finger to his ear, hiding the gesture as resting the side of his head on his knuckles soon after.

She grimaced and whirled her chair back to her computer while continuing her act. “Your name-calling is getting dull sweetie. I remember the time you threatened to break every pair of glasses I own if I don’t focus on my work.” Levi rolled his eyes though, from the corner of his vision, the glaring red dot from the camera stationed near the LifeLine gear remained as a grim reminder that not only was Hanji being watched, but even everyone within the laboratory as well. “Hold on, I think I found the bug,” Humming to herself, Hanji pulled out a blue connector cable from her drawers and connected her computer to the rest of the monitors of the lab that they use to watch the live feed of LifeLine. After several minutes of Hanji full-on ignoring Levi, she grinned and squealed in delight after shutting her monitor then spinning in her seat. 

“I bloody wanted to do this for a while.” She exclaimed, and kicked off her chair, heading for the door to the laboratory, Hanji locked the entrance and wheeled herself back. “I blocked off the listening devices and cameras. We got some time before maintenance checks in on us.” She slumped back into her chair and regarded Levi with a hard stare and laced her fingers together. “I mentioned before that LifeLine began as a project to use droids instead of humans to go into unsafe environments, including battlezones. The reason Tybur approved was for that reason, but at the same time, it’s also my way of helping Eldia. The war’s on a standstill, and you know it. The Eldians went into hiding after the battle in Paradis Beach. Soldiers that were first sent to investigate never came back.”

“They confirmed there were scouts along the walls.” Levi countered but Hanji smirked while leaning back on her chair. 

“But we can’t confirm the number of civilians. Even you noticed the lack of ordinary people through the simulation.” Hanji threw her hands up in the air and then shrugged her shoulders. “It’s as close to reality Levi. The Marleyans are looking for someone amongst them, the same person their delegate soldiers were asked to find years ago.” A hard throbbing of his head came back in full force the more he listened to Hanji.

Even as he winced at the pain, Hanji continued. “You were sent to Eldia to take Eren Yeager.” 

Words barely had an effect on him, but the invisible rug under his feet was pulled away and left him scrambling to get back up on his feet. Deep within him, Levi knew that he hadn’t stepped foot on Eldia until the fateful battle that cost him a literal limb. “It doesn’t make sense.” He found himself muttering. The day he woke up, confused, and drugged enough to not even register he lost one of his hands. It’d been the doctors that told him of what happened, and later after his discharge, he read the reports about his whereabouts in the gaps of his memories, but none were in Eldia.  _ But then, you met Hanji before.  _

“You’re not even denying that we’ve met before Levi.” She voiced out his exact thought while her phone chimed and she turned her attention back to her screen. “Don’t believe everything the higher-ups tell you. No one here can be trusted. Even me.” 

He didn’t expect the small confession from her, and all the warning bells of Tybur came slamming back to him. “If I can’t trust anyone here, who do I trust then?” 

Biting her lower lip, he could tell that she struggled from blurting out whatever she truly wanted to say, and eventually spoke in a rather small whisper. “Trust yourself, find the truth, even if it means hating me in the process.” A pop-up alarm filled Hanji’s entire screen that made her hiss Eldian profanities, and rolled toward Colt’s monitor and turned it on. In a matter of minutes, most of the monitors showed the exact same warning message. “Ah shit, whoever is trying to get into the system is really trying to dig for something. Lucky enough, all the important files and systems were backed-up in time.” Then, she slid the hard drive toward Levi and placed a finger to her lips. “Keep it, for now, I have porn in there.”

“That’s disgusting.” The bluntness of his response threw Hanji into a laughing fit that reminded her of the time Levi had said such things to her. 

She raised her index finger in the air and wagged it. “That’s a natural secret of adulthood, Ackerman.”

“Hanji!” The loud yell of Colt revibrated from down the hallways before something, or their case, someone slammed against the locked door of the laboratory. The doorknob rattled a few times but otherwise remained shut. Levi made a move to open the door, but Hanji beat him to it and threw the door open for her frazzled assistant. Colt stumbled into the laboratory with his bedridden hair, and beige buttoned shirt tucked halfway down his jeans and buttoned at the wrong places. “Sir, you’re here early.” He stammered and made a sorry attempt to flattened his hair down, but Levi clicked his tongue.

“I just had some things to talk about with Hanji,”

“And he’s just about ready to leave too.” The glasses-wearing brunette informed and even lightly nudging Levi’s shoulder.

Levi was ready to bark back and say he wasn’t until he heard the unmistakable sound of Djel’s dress shoes headed toward them. Flanked with his group of scientists, the older male tried and failed to mask his annoyance at Hanji. “It's a pleasure to see your team here so early in the morning.” His eyes lingered mostly at Levi with the same unnerving feeling that Levi only felt when being alone with the Commander. “We detected something wrong with the LifeLine system. Since an internal system breach had happened, we will be assisting with fixing it because we don’t want this to affect the gear we’ve made.”

Hanji merely nodded and retired from her already messy hair back into a ponytail. “Alright, you guys can stay, I’m gonna brew some coffee for everyone since we have a long day ahead of fixing the program.” She hummed and lightly patted Colt on the shoulder before nodding him to go into the pantry and start the coffee maker. How easy was it for her to lie and act calm? Levi thought, but ever since finding the listening devices and cameras within the laboratory, it was only a matter of wanting to know who’s on the other end of spying on them. “Levi, I’m sorry, but it’s going to be pretty tight here and you’d probably be bored to death, so you’re free to go do whatever it is you do when you don’t clean around here.”

Apart of him wanted to throttle the scientist, but held back with how many other researchers were around them. Hanji grabbed her lab coat that hung at the backrest of her chair and escorted Djel’s entourage into her space. In desperate need of a painkiller for his headache, he decided to go back up to the medical ward for a quick remedy. 

The dull monotonous voice of the weatherman was a good distraction for Levi’s whirlwind of thoughts. He sat on one of the metal benches along the reception area of the Facility. Patients and doctors mingled along the upper floors for any medical treatment or check-ups. If it weren’t for the men and women in uniform, the whole upper floors would have appeared much like any other general hospital. The mundane lifestyle didn’t suit him, and he had thought long and hard about making the necessary quick trip to the Marleyan Military camp with how much free time is given to him. With his mind made up, and the pain dwindling by the minute, he had to take matters in his own hands. 

Downcast skies and the smell of wet asphalt assaulted him the minute he stepped out of the automatic doors. Levi sent a quick message to Colt that if Hanji or he ever needed him, he’d just be at the Military base. A direct bus from the facility to the base was around the corner of the street, he’d walked briskly toward the waiting shed and hoped something more fruitful happened. The gnawing feeling of homesickness never occurred to him since his years of living at Marley, but as he spent more time in LifeLine, and conversing with Hanji, he never felt more alone and even hyper-aware of other’s intentions. Doubt kept him, second-guessing everyone, including him. The more he analyzes Hanji’s words, versus the documents he read more than a dozen times about his records, an ember of anger began to manifest.

“Levi? Is that you?” Delft fingers grasped his forearm the second he hopped off the bus and began to make his way toward the gates of the Military base. Being consumed by the conflicting questions and answers in his head, Levi didn’t notice the person in the beige military uniform. Zeke Yeager greeted him with a huge grin and a glint in his eyes of an old friend that he hasn’t seen each other for years. A light tan gave his skin a healthy glow and as he removed his hand from Levi’s shoulder. “I haven’t seen you in ages, how have you been?”

“Fine,” Levi replied curtly but noticed how Zeke’s eyes wandered toward his metallic hand. “I just came here to check on something.” He added to shift the focus on anything else. Zeke grinned and placed his hands in his pockets.

“You’re in luck, I’m pretty free today, we could catch up while you do your business here.” The urge to refuse his help nearly slipped his mouth, but then, he did come unannounced, with Zeke tagging along with him, it wouldn’t be too suspicious even if someone on the compound had to report back to Tybur.

“Alright, but you’re buying lunch.” Levi made his way up the stairs of the compound as the loud whistles and yells from drill sergeants as new recruits began their morning run despite the rain. 

At the end of two hours of walking within different departments of the military base. Some of the generals recognized Levi immediately and gave him the necessary files he asked for. Others simply gawked at him and asked about the known battle of Paradis Beach. Zeke even entertained the female cadets behind the reception within the master sergeant’s office while Levi did the whole mandatory courtesy call. The master sergeant, Yelena was someone Levi hadn’t met before. The woman’s silvery hair and ear to ear grin were out of place within the room that held many artifacts of wars, and photographs of all graduates of the Military Academy. Yelena wore the black and red striped uniform of the master sergeant that once belong to Levi’s own mentor, Kruger. He’d hoped to find the cranky man of few words, but Zeke had reminded him that Kruger retired more than four years ago. Yelena, on the other hand, took the position from Tybur after the war began. 

“The infamous wolf of Marley, it’s a pleasure to see you again.” She mused but puzzled him since he swore to only just meeting her.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t remember meeting you before.”

“Really?” A hint of fascination coated her remark while she inched her chair closer to the desk. “We’ve met a year ago, in this very room with Commander Tybur.” She supplied while Zeke cleared his throat and gave her that signature charismatic grin. 

“Forgive him, Levi’s memory has been faulty ever since the battle in Paradis.”

Yelena nodded in understanding, she leaned forward and extended her hand for a quick handshake with the raven. “I apologize, I didn’t know, so is this why you two have come here?”

Even Zeke threw the questioning glance since Levi didn’t give him a straight answer aside a trip down the foggy memory lane. “Yes, a doctor who’d been helping me with recovery told me that retracing my steps might help me remember what I forgot.” Thank god, he thought about how Grisha advised him to work on patching his memory even if it means retracing his steps. The doctor, who happened to be the father of Zeke. 

“Very true, dad did tell me you have those pesky headaches and body pains every now and then. Don’t overwork yourself too hard Levi.” The words that another person might’ve been interpreted as comfort only but he still bristled at the hand Zeke clamped on his shoulder again. He hasn’t seen Yeager for a good long year, he still tried to keep the man at arm's length. The times when they’d fought together on the battlefield and shared the same aggressiveness on enemies were far behind them. Levi’s mentally crippled, and Zeke wasn’t even the same man that he knew. 

Very slowly, Levi exhaled and kept his expression neutral. “I’m quite alright at the Facility, thank you, but I really need access to the reports done during the battle in Paradis beach...and everything else under me in three years.” He didn’t want to reveal how bad his amnesia was, but he couldn’t fully escape the topic either. Yelena shifted her gaze between Levi and Zeke before pressing a button to her intercom to call her assistant. 

“Pieke, give me all the documents you have on Corporal Levi dating from three years ago up until last year before his discharge from frontline duties.” Then she tilted her head and gestured for both Zeke and Levi to sit down on the vacant couch before her desk. 

“No, I don’t plan on staying too long.” Levi actually didn’t like the strange way Yelena stared at him, as if wanting to dissect his body.

“Aww come on Levi, it’s been months. At least have a catch-up with me at lunch.” Zeke nudged his side again and a plan began to form in his head, that, who was he to say no to an opportunity? 

Zeke led him back toward the pub, Mac Joel’s Monster Cave. An over the top name for a nesting grounds for drunken soldiers, but it lived up to its name. Tall barrel mugs of beer, XXL size servings of burgers and fries, and the most famous superbowl mac n’ cheese that could feed a group of four fully grown men. During his cadet years, Levi had been dragged into the very same diner by Zeke when he was on the night before his first deployment. Along with others within the same training group, they all got drunk until the late hours of the evening. During the day, however, it had a more somber feel. The entire pub had its rustic lamps turned up to the maximum brightness that bathed the entire area with warm golden light. The roasted coffee scent lingered thickly in the air, and most of its customers cradled a warm cup or bowl of soup in their hands.

The place barely changed, aside from the fresh coat of dark blue paint over the front double doors that had once been green. “Some soldiers got into a brawl and wrecked the doors a few months ago.” Zeke supplied while they moved further into the bar. The owners, were an old couple that was retired from service a decade ago, making it their prime business to give better food for soldiers than the crap served in the cafeteria. Needless to say, after the business skyrocketed in its early years, the training camp finally did improve its ration of food, but Mac Joel’s began the go-to place. They settled on a round table at the view deck of the bar on the second floor. Away from prying ears, and with the soft patter of rain down the roof, immediately, Levi felt awkward. 

“Long time since we’ve been here huh,” Zeke said with a small smile on his face, one of the waitresses came over to get their orders. “I’d have the regular carbonara and sweet iced tea.”

“Grilled cheese sandwich, and black tea.” He mumbled and once the waitress left, Levi fixed Zeke his hard stare. “What do you want?” 

An amused chuckle slipped Zeke’s slips as he leaned back in his chair, completely relax even on the not so nice weather. “Why can’t we talk like old days Levi? It’s been a while since we last saw each other, and by the way, you’re looking like I personally offended you with my presence.” 

“You  _ always _ have a gain Zeke, what exactly do you want from clinging to me the entire day?” Levi said to the point as thunder rumbled through the dark skies. Ever since he’d worked with Zeke at the frontlines, he knew how manipulative and cunning the man was. Espionage was Zeke’s bread and butter, he could extract information with little to less effort, and even dangle the details you need right at your reach. For Zeke, it was always business, with the right price. 

The two soldiers stared at each other for a long time, that as the waitress returned with their steaming hot food, only then did Zeke opened his mouth. “I’m simply curious as to what drove you back here when you are off duty.” Zeke took a stab on his pasta and twirled the fork around. “Not even a phone call or a word from Tybur too, adding to the fact you wanted your files when you hated even dealing with paperwork.”

“I just need confirmation,” Levi said back and lifted the cup of tea along the brim with his fingertips. 

“Oh,” Zeke lifted one eyebrow in surprise, but Levi couldn’t read behind the man’s fake pleasantries. “You doubt the reports?” 

_ Yes, _ he wanted to say frankly but Levi knew, he was teetering on a game, where if he spoke the wrong answer, Zeke could use it against him. “No, it's more than that, this shitty head of me can’t remember  _ anything _ from the reports.” 

“Hmm, so you do doubt them,” Zeke reaffirmed and laughed, but the tone of his voice sounded a bit more lax with no hint of suspicion that Levi hoped the blond man could loosen his lips even without the liter of beer in his system yet. 

“It said on the reports that for the past three years, I was out of the country, stationed to the Middle Eastern Front to bodyguard supplies. Due to the sudden call from the government, I was sent for a vanguard position against Eldia a year ago.” On his hospital bed and delirious in drugs, Levi believed every word. He felt it in his bones and seen it in his nightmares that he had fought on Paradis Beach, but beyond that, a gap persist and no right answers present itself. “You and I must’ve crossed paths in those two years, right?” 

Zeke shoved a mouthful of creamy pasta into his mouth and deliberately slowed his chewing, to the gullible, it would seem that Zeke tried to go through his thoughts, but instincts made Levi aware that the other began calculating what was the right thing to say without exposing something vital. “Yes, we met between those times you’re out of the country Levi, however, even when we run into each other in the base headquarters, your head is always stuck between a book or documents. You were a workaholic and had some classified tasks from Tybur, so I had no idea where you go and what you did.” 

“Have you been to Eldia before the battle?” He said immediately, that Zeke paused from lifting another forkful of carbonara midway to his mouth.

“Yes,” Zeke placed the fork down, and with his other hand grabbed the cool glass of sweet tea while Levi finished the entire lukewarm drink in his hand. “There was a military exchange program three years ago, a time when Marley intended to begin some peace talks.”

Hanji’s words echoed in his mind of how Marley sent soldiers to Eldia as delegates.  _ Did they had interior motives like what Hanji claimed? _ “I got stationed in Eldia with some cadets to train with the 104th training batch of Eldians. However, we only stayed for half a year before coming back to Marley.”

“Was I part of the program?” He kept his focus on his sandwich, rather than observing Zeke’s shift in his seat, the subtle twitch of his fingers to the hesitation that passed for mere seconds before the lie rolled out from his lips. 

“Nope, and you should know since, on the records, you were assigned at the Middle Eastern Front.” 

“Hmm, is Eldia still a piece of crap?” Levi diverted the conversation to sound much like how he had once viewed Eldia, and while Zeke still entertained him and told about the changes since his departure from vanguard service. 

Levi’s mind already raced with the difference between Hanji and Zeke’s statements. Once their lunch was over, Zeke’s phone rang while they paid for the bill. “It’s work, I swear, ever since you left, I feel like all the paperwork doubled for me.” He joked, and Levi smirked knowing that all the damn demands and reports needed to be done as head of the military vanguard never really end even for him back then.

They existed the bar while the downcast skies finally lifted to reveal small glimpses of sunlight. Along the sidewalks, cadets were rushing back to the training camp after the end of the lunch break. He and Zeke walked at a more leisurely pace, and he didn’t miss the way that the other, taller man placed a hand on the small of his back that caused him to tense up. “I’ll ride the bus back to the city.”

Quickening his steps just to avoid the small contact again, Zeke sighed and reached for Levi, following the Raven at the bus stop. He grabbed Levi’s arm and pulled him to stand still that Levi had to stop the urge to punch the man in the face. “Come on, Ackerman, it’s been, what? Years, can’t you just forgive me from that little drunken mistake in Hizuru?” Levi yanked his arm away from him and crossed his arms over his chest. Red hot anger boiling within him as Zeke as he usually did, tried to reason how the past had been Levi’s own fault from overreacting. 

“Zeke, I’m tired of it okay, we’re not horny fucking teenagers anymore, or drunk from the matter. Just pull your shit together and stop with the advances. I’m not interested.” 

The older man laughed to the point he had to clutch his sides and shake his head as if Levi was the child throwing a tantrum. “Levi, you were and still  _ are _ someone worth my interest, and that night out proved that if you just gave me a chance, I can turn that spark into a fire.” He tried to reach for Levi’s hand again but quicker than the taller man had anticipated, Levi grabbed Zeke’s wrist and planted his feet firmly on the ground before flipping the man over like a large sack of flour. Zeke landed heavily on his back. 

As the fury morph on Zeke’s face, the bus came, and Levi bent down until his face was close to Zeke’s ear. “This is my last warning Zeke, just drop your stupid shit, and leave me alone.” Levi hissed, before moving away and hopped right into the bus.

Even as he sat down and the bus rolled away, not even five minutes later did Zeke sent him a message, that earned him a huge  ** _ Piss off  _ ** a reply.

** _ You won’t leave me alone in the future Levi, you always come back. _ **

“That went pretty well,” Yelena said cheerfully while Zeke swore like a sailor into her office. The man lost all form of composure after Ackerman left military grounds. She decided not to get between Zeke and the old corporal, and even withheld reporting to Tybur about his sudden visit. Yelena did however foreseen that he would have come to see the reports with his own eyes. Technology and a single person’s statement couldn’t solidify facts once doubt planted its seed. “What will you do now?” 

Zeke leaned his head on the headrest of the chair with his eyes closed, a million scenarios playing behind his closed eyelids, all of them involving the made he obsessed after for years. We still follow orders, what else is there to it Yelena. He is still clueless about what’s happening to him and Eldia. Commander Tybur even informed me that they are so close to pinpointing the Eldian King’s position.” 

The new information piqued enough of Yelena’s interest that she laced her fingers and twiddled her thumbs, trying trying to contain her brimming excitement. “Will they let me play Zeke? I promise to be nothing but excellent.”

Even behind his closed lids, Zeke could feel Yelena hesitating to pick up her phone to dial Djel’s number, demanding when will be their turn to play. He knew though, that soon, it would be his turn on getting back on the country that took everything from him. “Soon.” Was all he said. A promise not only to Yelena but to the people he planned to slit their throats and savor their cries.


	11. Drafts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Welcome back to the game, and before anything else, I would just like to give a huge thank you to all of you guys for reading LifeLine ^_^ We’ve reached 1,ooo reads! Even with my busy schedule you guys still stick around. Also, I’d be swamped with work for the next few weeks, and I am going to say sorry in advance for the infrequent intervals of updates. Hopefully, the workload would ease after a couple of months. By summer though, I’d have more time to write and edit out these chapters. Leave any comment or theories on LifeLine. As always, game, set, and enjoy!

Staring at the computer screen without blinking for more than an hour was torturous. It chipped away what little patience Hanji had left since the bugs were removed through the LifeLine system. The worry that settled like a giant stone in her stomach never left even after forcing Colt to test out the game just to triple check for anything out of the ordinary. She hated the feeling of not being in control, or when her inventions had gone awry, the unknown of what to fix and how made her thoughts tumble to the dark uselessness she’d once lived through as her team died one by one through the blizzard. 

“Nothing’s wrong with the gear, and there are no glitches in the game,” Colt spoke through the receiver, his real body remained asleep right on the gurney behind her. On any other occasion, verbal confirmation would have been enough. She trusted Colt the way she had trusted anyone who worked with her in major projects. Even with Erwin’s litany of being careful on enemy territory, she knew how much of a risk it was to directly involve Colt and his brother to her project. Then there came the uncertainty with Levi Ackerman. Hanji could pretend to work as she did before fully knowing all the different sides of Levi, but with the given setbacks, and Levi’s back to his old moody and cranky self, Hanji never felt more alone.

Djel’s team poking around the laboratory set off a new level of fear, that for once, Hanji was glad she’d been born as a nimble mess that wouldn’t sit still. No one saw anything different from how she blabbered between the too serious or sneers from the Marleyan scientists. Her phone remained silent throughout the rest of the day. Once the afternoon drew near, did she realized that all the prodding and scanning over the program without actually operating through it. 

Hanji scratched her right temple with the blunt end of her pen, before glaring at her idled computer screen, waiting for the answers to just appear to her. “Log out Colt, there’s nothing else to it, but just prepare for whoever tried to make it past the security system.” The nagging feeling that something was amiss itched and crawled through her skin. 

Before, she’d rely on Moblit to assure her that everything was fine and nothing had escaped his scrutiny once the firewalls were all up again. “Professor?” Colt’s large hand waved right in front of Hanji’s face, distracting her from the myriad of thoughts in her mind. “I think you should call it a day, the rest of Levi’s team had their tasks from the generals today. Also, Levi texted,” Colt showed Hanji the message from Levi and dread filled her very veins with ice. 

“He went to the military camp!” Colt had to place both hands on Hanji’s shoulders to keep her pinned to the seat as she attempted to dash for her car. 

“Relax, I mean, isn’t it a good thing that he’s willingly trying his best to regain some memories on his own,” Colt said and settled on the chair next to Hanji. His movements sluggish from the sedatives. The thought of lowering the dosage had been at the back of Hanji’s thoughts seeing how it had affected the players and their internal body clock. She’d had to further delve into it with the rest of her team...if they would still be considered a team. While Colt did speak as a voice of reason, she recalled back on the evening when Erwin’s deep rumbling voice spoke in full seriousness in harsh yet urgent words through the phone.

“_ Help him, keep him out of danger, but whatever it takes, we need to get him out before they use his memories against him. _”

Hanji exhaled a shuddering breath, as the words spurred her on since the day after Levi’s surgery. “Some things...aren’t meant to be resurfaced Colt.” She whispered truthfully and averted her eyes from Colt as understanding dawned on him. “I don’t want him to remember everything, even though I know it's what he wants.”

“You can’t honestly keep him in the dark forever, and he should find out the facts from you, rather than Djel, or Commander Tybur for that matter.” 

Spilling the truth was the option she had, heck, she wanted to put everything out in the open earlier while they were in the safety of her home, away from the prying eyes and ears of the Facility. The only uncertainty that she knew that Colt didn’t was the anomaly, which was that Levi’s a danger, even to himself. “Trust me on this, please, and I’m sorry that I can’t tell you everything either, but when the time’s right, I-”

Colt sighed and rolled his chair closer to his computer. “I just hope that when that time comes, it won’t be too late to set things right between the two of you, Professor.”

That evening, Hanji headed back home, the persistent feeling of dread never leaving. Even back in Eldia, Levi barely shared anything about his past, or life in Marley, while his reputation as a known dedicated soldier to the government, and Commander Tybur, Levi was never a proud man of the people he killed under the direct orders. It didn’t excuse him either of carrying out assassinations against his people. When Eren crashed into Levi’s life, Hanji had been there to see the transformation in the stoic man. Though his emotions remained hidden behind the inner walls of his mind, when it came to Eren’s concern, the man’s icy glare softens and every rigid motion lax at the close contact of the brunet with gemstone green eyes.

Colt remained at the laboratory to write a report to Commander Tybur about the incident of hacking into the beta program just to ease the edge of the long day. She texted Levi about how his day had gone but got no reply. If Armin’s past intel was to go by, Levi left his duties from the military base as a tactical and combat trainer after accepting the offer of vanguard soldier months before being deployed in Eldia. What transpired to have him get the role was beyond even the young scout. She would’ve asked Eren, but Erwin kept the scout under tight security that even she had seldom to no contact with him at all for his safety. 

Tossing her bag aside in her living room, Hanji turned the TV on, just to drown the silence of her empty apartment. The space used to occupy her pet cats, Sonny and Bean. After she permanently glued herself to the Facility in the first three months of Levi’s return. Not coming home frequently made her give up her cats to Colt’s family that happily took the two misfit cats in. Hanji made a quick change from her work clothes to some canary yellow pajama set before heading straight to her bedroom.

Once her computer logged on, she immediately checked any emails from Moblit, Erwin and lastly Levi. The silence from the grumpy concerned her, but then again, she lived with years of unanswered phone calls at times from the same man. Settling back into her seat, exhaustion seeped through every fiber of her being. Maybe it was time for her to take a day off? The long hours of work, even when away from the Facility burned her out. Before she turned in for the night, she pulled the small phone hidden under a panel of her bedside drawer. She dialed the only person she missed talking to while placing the phone to her left ear.

“Hanji?” Moblit’s voice came out in a strange garbled, that she suspected of having interrupted him while eating a late-night meal.

Shuffling under the covers, if she closed her eyes, Hanji could picture being back at the old manor in Trost. The fine smell of the lemon cleanser that clung to the tiles whenever Moblit had to clean her mishaps with oil or chemical spills. Moblit would be sitting down on his chair behind three large-screen computer monitors while telling her stories about the stuff he researched on the further scouts explored Colossal Peaks. “Hey, long time no talk,” She murmured, and the sound of fingers hitting the keyboard stopped. 

Moblit cleared his throat and swallowed down the last of his takeout food while Hanji imagined her old assistant moving around the overly crowded workspace. “We’ve just talked this morning remember.” A tone of playfulness in his voice that if it were any other day, Moblit would’ve been borderline annoyed at the odd phone call.

“I know, it's just been a...rough day.” 

“Same here.” The small noise of a printer printing out at the background caught her attention but ignored it the same as Moblit rattled on and off about his day. “I’ve been trying a different brew of coffee from this peculiar plant Historia and Eren showed us a month ago. The beans needed a good long roasting and just a single cup of it can keep me up for eighteen hours! But this isn’t the matter to discuss isn’t it.” 

“Levi’s been unpredictable lately, I want him to remember, I do Moblit, but I’m also scared that I won’t be able to save him either once Djel realized he regained his memories.” Wording, or even saying her fears to life only weighed heavily in the air, for both scientists.

On the other end of the line, Moblit tapped his pen against the desk, his old habit whenever in deep thought. While technology and inventions were far from his forte of expertise, he often encouraged or give Hanji the boost to keep going. Hanji didn’t expect an answer from him at all.

“You’re a smart, and very quick on your feet Hanji. I’m sorry, none of us can physically be there to help, but we’ll do what we can alright. Also, the new gear is scheduled to arrive three days from now. Armin and Rico would be sending the data on the next location once all evacs are done.” 

“How many have...you know,”

“Died?” Moblit finished for her but remained more professionally and factually of speaking that it carried an air of detachment while they discussed. “So far, the scouts have been dealing with the huge bulk of the fatalities. Erwin and Pixis are trying to keep the death toll to a minimum, but at this point, we might need to change things a little if we want this game to end. Remember, the mission.”

_ I’m working on it. _Hanji wanted to reply, but even she felt the pressure of time the longer they played the game. “I’ll schedule the next jump into the simulation in four days then. Stay safe.”

“Stay sane, Hanji,” Moblit’s old greetings for her that not only a smile but warmth to flood her system. 

“Tell me about your research these days while we’re not running simulations?” Homesickness wasn’t too far behind, but at the moment, Hanji was lulled by the voice of the man who always had her back since they’d became partners on different scientific studies at Sina University. 

It took two days before the storm finally left Eldia, and none of the scouts were eager to be out in the open again, except for Eren Yeager. The brunette stretched his limbs and kicked at the loose rocks from the cobblestone path of Ragako. He hadn’t returned to Ragako since the time he lost control. However, Commander Pixis insisted that while the scouts were to assist in Hanji’s game, they still had their duties to the request of the late King, and that’s to help the citizens reach the sanctuary. Eren couldn’t help it either with the dirty looks and glares thrown at him by the Wall priests as they marched in a single file toward the military trucks with their luggage and rations. 

A yawn slipped his lips, before he threw the hood of his cloak off his head, only for it to be yanked forcefully back up, followed by a sharp smack at his back. “Oi!”

“Oi, yourself, suicidal bastard,” Jean grumbled and stood at attention next to him, watching the women and children trudge along. “Just because we haven’t seen those shitty planes flying above us, doesn’t mean you should go waltzing around town when you got a bounty on your head.” Jean shook his head and placed both hands on his hips while glaring at the ground, a thousand other cozy and warm places would’ve been on his mind rather than assisting on evac missions.

In other circumstances, the Military Police _ had _ offered just that for Eren ever since Levi’s departure. A promise of keeping him in a safe house, twenty-four-hour rotating bodyguards, and even a guaranty of being relieved of his duties from the Survey Corps was dangled at him. For Jean, his outright, no hesitation of rejecting the offers like the suicidal bastard he kept calling him. Their vertical maneuver gears were hidden under their cloaks, minus the thin blades for battle. Jean like the rest of the scouts within Ragako was strapped with guns and a rifle at hand. Unadorned by any flashy weaponry, under his sleeves, all Eren had been the daggers that he’d used in replacement of the heirloom sword from his family. Briefly, he wanted to tease horse face about not caring about the bounty on his head, since he was worth more than Jean’s paycheck.

Eren opted to keep quiet since he heard, rather than saw Mikasa’s approach from above the rooftops. With a grace that came like an innate talent shared between the Ackermans, Mikasa leaped off the roof and landed without much noise with a grimace at the wreckage left by the storm. “This is the last truck to the sanctuary. Connie and Sasha are almost done with checking every home for people that are being stubborn about leaving their houses.”

“They can’t honestly be considering to put a damn house higher importance than their safety!” Jean threw his hands up in the air and began pacing the short length between the truck and where Eren and Mikasa were. “This is why I should’ve just taken the position with the Military Police!”

“Knock off your drama, Jean, the sooner this is over, the quicker we can get back in time for supper.” Eren pointed out before reaching for his phone to check for any messages, only to be greeted with silence. It’s been days since Erwin directly contacted him, nor Moblit for that matter. He even went as far as to check whether they checked on the routines for a simulation without him. Distracting himself before acting out of his panicked thoughts, he just repeated the mantra in his head that if anything bad had happened in Marley, Hanji would be the first to tell Erwin. 

He let his mind wander and placed Mikasa and Jean’s bickering as background noise, while he recalled all he knew of Marley through Levi’s reluctant description. That one evening they strolled down the streets of Mitras, Eren held Levi’s hand as the raven allowed to be pulled through the bustling central market and its colorful nightlife. It had only been weeks since their return from Colossal Peaks, and Eren still had to be careful of opening his stitches or bled to death on the streets if he moved the wrong way. Levi was in an even similar condition but bared a crutch and hobbling slowly beside him. Stifling a laugh on the memory of teasing Levi as the old man he was that evening, Mikasa and Jean turned to him in surprise and with wide-eyed shock.

“Sorry, I got sidetracked.” He blurted out immediately but felt heat rushing to his face from laughing at such a dreary place.

Mikasa stared at him like he grew another head, which didn’t help his growing embarrassment. Before he could even utter another word of apology, his close friend tackled him into a bone-crushing hug that squeezed the air out of his lungs. “Can’t breathe.” He teased, which made her pull away by a faction only to swat his left forearm.

“You’ve been pretty down or serious, it's the first time we heard you laugh ever since...the captain left.” Even Jean averted his eyes at Mikasa’s words, that a strange feeling of guilt came over him.

He knew that the separation affected him a lot, much like how he had to endure a part of his soul being ripped apart whenever a new Lance Corporal took the title. It still didn’t excuse his actions however with how he treats his friends. Eren swore to himself never to let the corporal affect him like before, and there he was, back in full circle on the cycle of dependency. “I’m sorry.” There weren’t any words in the human language that could fully convey what Eren wanted to say, but those two words summarized a fraction of what he wanted to tell everyone important to him.

Above them, the sky cast its pale orange hues that blend with the first signs of the evening stars. If the truck had to make its journey to the northern Rose gates, they needed to leave before it got too dark. Jean clapped his hand on Eren’s shoulder and nodded toward the armored vehicle they rode to Ragako. “Come on, we still need to report to Pixis and head back to headquarters before supper ends.”

Riding a military armored vehicle took an ample amount of Eren’s focus and keeping his rising nausea and fear at bay. He managed to get into cars without a hitch, and even learn to fly a bi-plane, but being wedged in a windowless car, between Connie, and Mikasa, sent all red flags to wave in the air for him. Eren knew the fear was stupid he made such great progress to overcome his claustrophobia with Levi in the past. But the armored car just pushed it up a notch to a level of being not only uncomfortable but downright inching to full-blown panic, if not for Mikasa’s hand squeezing his. Eren could deal with Jean’s jealousy on the situation, but the small gesture did wonders that kept him teetered to the present and not focused on the awful memories. It's in those moments he truly wished Levi was around.

Out of all the Corporals he’d served for, only Levi treated him like a person. The man barely relied on him, and though they nearly ripped each other’s throats out from the amount of fighting they’d done at first, Levi respected him as a fighter, while he acknowledges Levi’s skills in survival. If he truly were, to be honest to himself, similar to the meeting days back with Erwin Smith, he’d still confess to missing the man that made him feel emotions he hadn’t experienced in years. Eren willed himself to stay put and breathe like a normal person rather than a fish out of the water through the long two-hour drive back to Trost. 

By the time the armored vehicle arrived at the main headquarters, he all but leaped out of the dark, and suffocating metal box. He swore over and over again to not trust the death trap, but he couldn’t directly reject the commander’s orders either. The lights were on at the old manor of the Survey Corps, the black and white wings of freedom flag waved proudly on the flagpole before the main building. From his previous home, the weathered grey stone walls and golden light that glowed from the windows was welcoming for some, and dreadful horror for the passing citizens. Ever since Grisha took him to Eldia, he’d learned of the hushed whispers of the wives at the market or the drunken slurs of men at pubs. No one liked the Survey Corps, a branch of the government that leeched off from the people’s taxes. He’d been told to stay away from them, but trouble happened to find him as a teen. Without the paternal guidance in a consistent balance, he was taken to court and placed in trial after beating up some rich kid that picked on Armin.

As luck would have it, only Erwin Smith knew of his history, from Grisha Yeager’s sudden interest in adopting him, and the origins of his mother, Carla, from a town that hadn’t spoken the language of the founding nation for centuries. Erwin offered him to either serve under the scouts or reveal his illegal eldian documents and had him investigated for his lineage. 

There were the sentry towers by the gates, where it’s usually occupied by one patrol in each tower, but with the storm, everyone relied on the CCTV installed through the perimeter of the grounds. Connie and Sasha hopped out of the van, with Connie leading the way up the steps, whistling and a hand under his chin. Ever since they’ve hit their twenties, Connie had been on and off about trying to grow a beard to appear more thuggish, which backfired immensely with the lack of facial fair.

Mikasa and Eren brought up the rear of the group, with the messenger bag filled with the reports and clearances of the citizens that were accounted for. “Do you think we’ll hear from Hanji soon?” Eren tried for small talk while he lugged the bag toward the elevator instead of the usual flight of stairs up to the fifth floor. Mikasa barely turned her head to his direction while walking, the eerie similarities between her and Levi didn’t stop with sharing the same family tree but the deeply encoded need to protect as well. 

“She’s trying not to get any attention to herself, so contact might be few in between until we get the new gear,” Mikasa said while tucking a few strands of her hair behind her ear. Lately, Eren had come to notice how Mikasa began to cut her hair shorter through the years. He had teased her during their training years that the long hair would be a disadvantage with their maneuver gear. The way her hair now framed her face accentuated her features, especially the icy glares that seemed to only turn Jean on in his bizarre taste. Mikasa caught Eren staring at her, and lifted one thin brow at him. “Something on my face?”

“I hadn’t realized how you look more mature with that hair.” 

Mikasa touched the ends of her fringes and shrugged her shoulders. He didn’t need to say it, and she promptly avoided talking about it either, how time would soon catch up with Mikasa and Eren still carried the uncertainty when his would tick again. Throughout dinner, Eren hadn’t seen the bushy-browed commander, nor had an inkling of an idea where Moblit was? He would’ve gone straight to his office, but without Moblit or Erwin permitting him to head in, the two guards by the double doors would no doubt deny him entry. He wanted to help, or better, he was desperate to see or hear about anything on Levi. 

The rest of his friends tried to pull him toward an evening out in the city but Eren noticed the missing Armin and the idea sparked in his head. “You guys go ahead, I have to catch up with Armin.” He managed to slip out of the cafeteria before being bombarded with questions or stopped by Mikasa. Weaving his way through the hungry scouts that flooded in and out of the cafeteria, Eren had to take the longer route through the corridors towards the dormitory with several bodies that pushed or shoved their way for food. It gave him small comfort that even after the whole ordeal none of the scouts, even the older squads treated him differently. 

Sprinting through the corridors, Eren paused at the end of the hall, the floor above them would lead toward the commanding officers and squad leader’s quarters. While he used to go there daily because of Levi’s company, the pang of ache in his chest hit with full force, knowing how abandoned and neglected Levi’s old room was since being taken. After a long lingering hesitation to go up and check at the room, Eren forced his feet to take him to the small distance of the boys' dormitory.

“You missed dinner.” Eren ruffled Armin’s hair, causing the blond the stir from his awkward sleeping position with his head using his arms as a pillow on his desk. Armin’s laptop cast an ominous bluish glow within the room that faintly reminded Eren of the crystal chamber where Levi saved him. The bittersweet memory always tugged at the forefront of his brain, but indulging at the thoughts and whispered promises in the cavern usually made him feel homesick. 

Armin’s small movements snapped him out of his train of thoughts, as his friend sat up and gave out a loud yawn. Some of Armin’s hair stood at odd angles, and it took him a few seconds to fully comprehend that Eren stood near him. “I…” Armin reached for his phone and muttered a curse and straightened in his seat. “I didn’t realize how late it was.” His friend lifted his arms to stretch the numb limbs while Eren plopped himself down on his unmade bed. 

His heart thumped loudly in his chest, as he waited for Armin to reorganized his desk back in order, and fixed his appearance. “I’m famished, but I suspect it’s going to be eating out again.” On cue, Armin’s stomach grumbles its needs to be filled. Eren’s digital alarm clock showed it was already a quarter past ten, and most of the open establishment for food were the pubs near the marketplace. 

“I’ll go with you to the pub, but I need a favor too Ars,” Eren watched Armin tentatively as the other went toward the wardrobe and pulled out a comfortable hoodie while giving Eren a hesitant look. 

“As long as we aren’t going to be in serious trouble.” However, he sighed at the lopsided grin on Eren’s face, knowing it would be anything but, with whatever the young swordsman had planned. 

No one ever truly suspected the emails being sent through Levi’s laptop in his room. To be fair, aside Levi, Eren had a spare key to the Raven’s quarters. While it was a huge security risk for Eren or Armin to even be there, he wanted, no need a different way to reach out to Levi that wouldn’t jeopardize the mission as a whole. Eren tugged out the key to Levi’s room from his wallet, and pushed the door on by a fraction, while the rest of the squad leaders and Erwin were most likely be in town or at the briefing room. “Come on,” Eren pulled Armin behind him and quickly shut the door.

Neither of them bothered with the light switch to avoid getting caught, but with his free hand, Eren felt along the walls, until his fingers came on the switch that turned the small lamp by Levi’s bed. Lucky for them, the man sported thick curtains that filtered as minimal light inside and even outside his quarters. For a fraction of a second, his heart ached, the room was just as how he and Levi left it a year ago. The bed was made, but Eren’s thick wooly blanket draped on his side of the bed with how both of them rushed that morning after the orders were given. Some of his photographs that were pinned on the corkboard by the bookshelves that held most of his books and albums. Most of the photos were candid shots of Levi, even though it amused him how much the older man avoid to stare directly at his camera whenever a chance presents itself. The only real-time he got Levi to look at the lens is when he shared the frame with him. 

“His computer is over there,” Eren whispered to Armin as his best friend went straight for Levi’s desk. The smell of dried leaves of tea was still in the air, a lot more faint than before, from how neglected the room had been. A thin layer of dust covered the shelves and the top of Levi’s desk. The tins of tea that once occupied one of the shelves were stacked in one organized pile by Eren’s sword on the table. 

“_ We’d need to find a storage box for my tea now that you fully took over the shelves, _” Levi muttered, while Eren squeezed the recent book he found from the bookstore in Shiganshina. He remembered that free week from work both of them had, a small compensation from Erwin with the news of battle lay over the horizon. Most of the other soldiers were off to fill their gullets with alcohol to numb the fear. Those with families spent the week preparing their loved ones on the journey to the capital. The week between the lovers was bliss to disguise the tension. Evenings spent touching each other’s bodies, trying to get as close as possible but never close enough, and days where Eren mostly dragged Levi outside their little bubble.

Talks of war were a taboo, a big elephant in the room, that even the mundane conversations of decorating Levi’s quarters were welcomed. Eren grinned, and turned to his partner, as his fingers briefly caressed the book he bought the other day. “_ I’m sorry, but the story seems promising. I just had to have it. _” 

Levi sighed, but with their quickly growing volumes of novels in the bookcase, sooner than later, they’d request for another. “_ What’s it about?” _ The raven finally asked while he sorted through his tea.

Eren hummed, and walked toward Levi, wrapping his arms around the shorter man. Instantaneously, he relaxed in Eren’s hold, much as Levi was a proud man, he didn’t deny to enjoy the small moments of intimacy between them. _ “Read it with me, when we return.” _A small promise, and though neither of them knew the outcome of tomorrow, it was only a pact that they were to come out of it together. 

Since then, Eren had yet to touch the hardbound book that lay then on Levi’s bedside table. It’s just a simple gesture that Levi still wanted to come back after fighting. “You’re right,” Armin spoke up and broke the silence. “Levi’s email account is saved on the laptop. Your plan might work.” Armin added, and Eren rushed to his side, as they both saw the incoming of emails between Levi and the generals from Marley. While it did contain valuable information, he would turn over the discovery to Erwin soon, but he needed a way to reach Levi first. “Let me sit down there for a sec, Ar. I got an email to compose.”

Levi couldn't comprehend how he ended up being dragged to a bar by Reiner, Annie, and Bertolt, and he didn’t expect to welcome the needed distraction. He needed more answers from the trio he bumped into during the afternoon. The research facility’s technology sector was closed off, which meant Even he was forced not to go to Hanji’s lab for the time being. The four-eyed freak reassured that they were going through tests and upgrading the system to have tighter security. The breach was enough to even have Commander Tybur directly involved to avoid any military secrets from leaking out to the public. 

“No one is ready to know of such advance military training methods,” Djel added the other day when Levi hung around the door of Hanji’s lab, hoping to find her or Colt. To make sure of his time, he went to the research facility’s gym and trained to get used to his metallic hand. The strenuous activity and the ache bothered him that Levi could only lift the dumbbells for only two sets than his usual of five. Once he lost his right arm, Levi had to get used to not only rely on his left hand but to adjust with the prosthetic. While Grisha advises him to avoid straining the right limb, he didn’t want the thing to be dead weight either.

By the afternoon, of nearly three hours in the gym, the three younger soldiers waltzed in on him. Reiner and Annie wore loose tank tops, and shorts, while Bertolt had a pair of basketball shorts and a drenched white shirt on. All three of them saluted upon realizing Levi stopped his run. “Fancy seeing you here, sir,” Bertolt said while hastily trying to wipe the sweat that built on his forehead. Still winded from running for half an hour, Levi only grunted and made his way between the soldiers to his gym bag to fetch his bottle of water. 

“He’s probably as bored as us seeing that we don’t have any duties since the lockdown of the laboratory.” Reiner mused and plopped down on the bench by the corporal. The bit of information did intrigue him. Though he expected that not only he would be affected by the game’s standstill, but Levi knew the cadets had their duties unless they were also like him? 

“I thought you kids have other things to do than play video games.” 

Annie rolled her eyes and pulled out some black wraps from Reiner’s bag. “No, that’ll be Falco since he has school. We were pulled off duty to devote to this project’s completion.” 

“From your files, it said that you guys had field experience, but I’ve never seen you guys worked on the field before, and I’d know recruits sent to the Middle East Alliance front lines, which means, either the three of you were stationed around the borders, or Hizuru” Levi deducted, and all three of them stared at one another before looking back at him with an expression of confusion on their faces.

“Sir, you probably didn’t meet us directly, but we were sent to Eldia years ago,” Bertolt explained, and even Reiner appeared grim as he stared back at him.

“Also, it's you and Zeke that approved of us to be part of the military exchange program.”

Holding the bottle of his beer a bit tighter than necessary, Levi gulped down the cool liquid down his throat while Reiner and Bertolt played darts on the side. The bartender that chased him out only a week ago rolled his eyes when Levi asked for something stronger than cheap beer. Annie sat beside him at the bar, with a glass of whiskey on ice, the bartender only gave a long hard glance at Levi before turning his back to make the raven’s mix. “You seriously don’t remember?” Annie said softly while she swirled the amber drink in her hand. 

Out of all three of the young soldiers, only Annie fell into the same category that Levi could check off as dangerous even amongst the elite soldiers of Tybur. He had seen how precise Annie moved in the game, and from how well versed in mixed martial arts the blond could match Levi in speed and combat. In the field, he would recall someone like her, but his mind, as always, drew a blank. “If you listen to the rumors around camp, you’d know I’m next to useless with my shitty memory.”

“An Irish bomb, sir.” The bartender set the tall, and dark drink right in front of him, that Levi was ready to set it aside, but the older bartender sighed and pushed it back before him. “The taste is better when you drink it immediately.” The man grumbled, and while he wasn’t the most knowledgeable man with his alcohol, he knew his tolerance with it could go up in flames if he drank the concoction before him. Still, he met the bartender’s challenge and threw his head back to chug the entire tall glass of Guinness and Baileys. 

Even Annie watched with mild surprise as he set the empty glasses aside, and wiped his upper lip with the back of his hand. “Bertolt mentioned you guys were selected by me to go to Eldia, but why aren’t there any reports about such tour into enemy territories?”

The blond girl lifted her drink to her lips and took her slow, deliberate time to answer, before shifting her attention to Levi. “I’m not going to lie, or hide anything from you, captain, mainly because after what had occurred during those six months changed what I thought of Paradis.” From the sidelines, they both noticed Reiner’s raucous laughter as he hit another bullseye on the dartboard, while Bertolt was forced to down another shot pushed his way, even with his already red beet face and subtle sway in his stance. “It was supposed to be a secret mission to retrieve something. Cadets like us were just sent to distract the higher commanding officers of Eldia while the elite team moved to retrieve something from the royal palace. However, things didn’t go as planned.”

“What happened?” Levi demanded, and an almost amused smile lifted the corners of Annie’s lips.

“I don’t know.” She deadpanned, and gently placed her drink down. The loud music shifted to much softer jazz before another Irish bomb is placed before Levi. He glared daggers to the bartender, who only shrugged his shoulders. “Those ladies over there, paid for this since they saw you handle the first rather well.” Levi half turned in his seat, and sure enough, a group of women in skimpy outfits waved back at him and the girl in the middle, with a short, red hair bob cut giggled at his attention.

“No, thanks.” 

“It’s already paid,” The bartender insists that Levi groaned and held the drink up and drank it quickly, feeling the frizzy alcohol tickle his throat but sooner after, did he felt the beginning of the alcohol taking effect through his system. 

“What do you mean you don’t know what happened?” Levi asked again, while Annie traced the rim of her glass, the ice in her whiskey already half its size. 

“We only saw what’s there to see from outside the palace. The elite team of Marley kept to themselves, and we know of your relationship with Zeke.” At the words, Levi gripped his glass harder, that even he was amazed it didn’t shatter in his hands. “Of course, I didn’t indulge with what went on between you and commander Zeke behind the close quarters, but you did change after meeting the other Yeager.” 

The crowd behind them cheered, as Reiner once again hit the bullseye, but it all sounded muffled as Annie’s words felt like being hit by an icy bucket of water. “Grisha has no family in Eldia.”

“He doesn’t” Annie agreed, and took another sip of her whiskey. “However, he did adopt a kid, the kid ended being part of the King’s order, and a knight, the youngest actually in Eldia. You were pretty much pitted against him since Zeke and that Commander Erwin wanted to know who was stronger? Marley’s Wolf, or Eldia’s Sword.”

At that point, Levi didn’t even know whether it was the alcohol that made his head pound or the memories that came crashing down like waves that threatened to drown him. Bits and pieces of a time when he held twin blades similar to the one in LifeLine, dancing a lethal battle under the scorching sun against a leaner, and younger soldier that held a glimmering sword. “What’s the soldier’s name?” he dared ask, even if the answer came with the memory of shaking his gloved hand to the warm, calloused tanned hand of the person that changed his life before. 

“Eren, Eren Yeager.”

The rest of the evening became a blur for him, but Levi did know something was off by the time he managed to get on his feet and the world tilted before him. He swore, at the realization that the second glass gifted to him was spiked. Bertolt and Reiner were too engrossed in the game of darts with shots to notice him leaving, but he did send his thanks to Annie, before paying his tab. He would’ve asked for more, of his body didn’t feel feverish, and the colors that swirled in his vision appeared too bright to be normal. Annie however, followed him out of the bar and even helped him book a taxi back to his apartment. Too intoxicated, and sick by the time he struggled to open the door to his flat, the last memory he had was crawling to his bathroom and heaving all the alcohol out of his system. Whatever messed up drug was in the Irish bomb made him see the world in a haze, and imagined dark creatures that clawed their way down his body.

Levi swore that if he didn’t survive the night, he’d fucking put a bullet between the eyes of the bartender and those girls. He didn’t dream at all, and his senses were sluggish the next morning, Pain and a nasty sour taste were left like a dry patch in his mouth that no amount of water could quench. Sleeping on his bathroom floor wasn’t a state he expected to find himself in. The last that he had come to such a hungover state, he’d been a fourteen-year-old teen, wasted after Kenny beat his ass for scaring off his fling from their shared home. 

“Stupid, fucking bitch.” He growled as the memories of the evening played in his head. With his throbbing head, Levi wasn’t even in the jolly mood to go to the facility, and as he checked his phone, he didn’t have to either, with how he woke up at six in the evening. The talk with Annie continued to replay over and over again, while he busied himself on trying to find a semblance of his routine. A dosage of painkillers and a quick meal of chicken noodle soup with a side of baked sweet potatoes, Levi’s stomach roared by the time, the smell of food filled the air. Who’s to trust anymore if everyone is keeping secrets? He thought begrudgingly when he thought back on Annie’s story of Eldia. The small details of the soldier Eren Yeager brought a strange sense of warmth to him. Levi, even in an intoxicated state, could remember in crystal clarity how he leaned toward knowing anything about the person Annie spoke highly off. 

She described Eren Yeager as a complete opposite of Zeke. Loud, and very expressive about his views, on the rare occasions that Annie conversed with how the scouts dubbed as the suicidal bastard, Annie became quiet as if pondering the right word to summarize the man that captured his full attention that evening. “Eren’s...different. Something about how if you caught him when he’s distracted, he seemed almost sad. Like a switch flicked within him between being happy with his friends and then melancholic as if he didn’t truly enjoy being with so many people.”

He wanted to know more but didn’t know why either. Determined to get to the bottom of the sudden spark of obsession, Levi went to his room and pulled out his laptop. He did remember the espionage period where Marley gathered information on Eldia’s top soldiers. While his baked potato had a few more minutes in the oven, he checked his emails for the reports that Zeke sent him a year ago on the branches of Eldia military. Scrolling down, he noticed an email in his drafts, that wasn’t there the day before. Unless he made a drunken composition before passing out in the bathroom, Levi didn’t remember logging into his email.

Levi opened his drafts and stiffened as he read the message over and over again, praying he wasn’t extremely wasted to be making up the words in his drafts.

_ The storm here in Eldia is bad the past few days, but it’s calmed now. I miss you, please, please try to remember and stay safe. Trust Hanji, and whatever you do, stay alive. We’re almost ready. Just hang on, and I will find you. _

There was no signature on who wrote it, but Levi knew, deep down he knew, or maybe it was his heart that remembered more than his fucked up brain as he stared at those words repeatedly, almost imagining that caring voice that he could hear saying it before him. “I miss you, and I will find you.”


	12. Ghost Pains

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone, welcome back to LifeLine! Before we jump into the chapter, I have made a short story about Eren and Levi’s relationship, a snippet that happened before the events in LifeLine, go check it out. Also, I’ve upgraded this stand-alone story into a series! If you guys want an early taste of fluff, do check into the LifeLine Special. This chapter’s actually filled with plenty of answered questions to some mysteries of Lifeline. Also, I am throwing this in advance. I am sooo sorry. You’ll understand why by the end of the chapter. Thank you again for sticking around, don’t forget to comment on what you think on this chapter, and see you all again in the next update!

Levi lost count of the times he woke up in cold sweat after the nightmare of his battle on the frontlines. The suffocating scent of acid dragged painfully down his throat, causing him to cough up blood. Everything hurt, and his vision blurred the more he tried to look through the tears that welled up his eyes. Levi couldn’t remember precisely what he was doing, or where he headed, but something about the dream felt different from the past repeats of the situation. Levi came in and out of a haze as if flipping through channels of his memories.

He caught glimpses through the war-torn shores of Paradis. Levi tried to close his eyes and for once felt fully in control of his subconscious mind. He knew it was all a dream but still felt out of his reach to wake himself up. The pain through his limbs was real. Eventually, he knew that he’d wake up, but then, something pulled on him to stay. 

Suddenly, a blindly light illuminated the darkness. The loud sound of helicopter blades overwhelmed his hearing. Levi tried to shield his eyes from the piercing brightness, and panic started to surge through him. _ What the heck is going on? _ Horror and confusion stirred within as he realized with a start, these were more than just his memories. Levi watched as a short man, with a nasty gash on his right temple, and a bloodied long cut from his right bicep down to his wrist. The soldier had a bad limp on his left leg while taking excruciating steps toward the oncoming Marleyan troops. Levi stood frozen in place as he watched, his doppelganger moved with a furious gaze even with how badly injured his double was. The vertical maneuver gear strapped to his body, and instead of the standard green uniform and Marleyan armband, he wore the same uniform as the scouts. The cloak was beyond repair. It clung to Levi’s shoulders, splattered with mud and blood that the emblem on the back was barely distinguishable. There were no spare blades that hung on his hips, and sweat had matted his shirt and hair to his skin. It took Levi moments to register a voice that yelled his name from the distance. 

Even though the defiance in his double’s gaze, Levi saw how the smog affected his body. Harsh breathing that came in erratic pants. Levi’s double was so pale from the bloodloss, that he noticed the visible shake of his hands on the grip around the hilt of the blades. The Marleyans kept their distance but encircled him like a feral animal. The one directly in front of his double sent chills down Levi’s spine. He recognized who it was.

Wounded, the other Levi fell to his knees. The effects of the poison coursed through his veins, bringing nothing but agony through his body. The man knelt before injured Levi. He somehow knew a frown shifted to a sneer on the Marleyan. “You’ve stayed here far too long Ackerman. Its time to bring you home.” The other Levi clenched his jaw and tried to strike at the man with his injured arm. Immediately two brutishly built Marleyan’s seized him.

His heart raced at the scene before him. The scout reigned in the last of his strength to break free from being manhandled. “We gave you a choice Ackerman. Go willingly with the relic or be dragged back to the facility for interrogations.” The leader of the group reminded them, and the real Levi’s head began to pound.

“I don’t fucking have it, there’s nothing here. If you’re just here to arrest me, then take me back to court for all I care. Don’t drag innocent people into a pointless war.” Levi yelled back before a fit of coughing racked his body until blood escaped his lips. The two men beside Levi kept him upright, but the real Levi knew how the agony had begun to numb his senses at that point.

“Oh don’t worry. We are here to arrest you, but we’ll also be getting the information out of you on the Eldians. Whether you agree or not. Especially once we have our hands on those Nephilim you care so much for.” The words sent chills down his spine, and even Levi felt like the air was knocked out of his lungs. Recognition began to stir deep within him. Words that were exchanged, important discussions around a heated table of knights and royals, and arguments that led up to that night where his heart was torn in two by his choices. 

“_ Do you remember Levi? _” A voice asked, familiar, yet hard for him to identify with the invisible nail being hammered in his brain. Levi tried, gritting his teeth to the point that if it were possible, his gums would’ve to bleed at the pressure. The wind ruffled the top of his head as the helicopter descended as it always did in brief flickers of a faded dream. He watched the other him struggled with all his might. The men hoisted him up by the limbs. “Strap him down!” One of the men yelled, but somehow even with his body beaten and bleeding. Levi roared and pulled one of his right arms away. He managed to deck the man square on the jaw. Another set of arms restrained him and shoved on the gurney while the helicopter continued to descend.

The tight leather straps dug into his wrists and legs. Levi slowly clasped his fingers around that bit of skin as if he truly were the one on the gurney. “_ Are you still with me? _ ” The same voice asked with a bit more urgency. He remembered being somewhere else before the nightmare, no -the memory. The right correction to the repetitive cycle of being lost in the persistent fragment ingrained in his mind. If he focused would he be able to put the pieces together? “ _ I’ll find you.” _

Levi gasped and tried with his might to jerk a way out of the restraints. He must still be dreaming. The thought pushed panic that began at the pit of his stomach and climbed all the way up to his head. Remnants of the memory clung to him like thin strands of a spider’s web. Levi’s heart raced so fast that every gulp of air wasn’t enough to soothe the ache.

A scream tore its way out of Levi’s mouth as he tried and failed to free himself from the unknown white room that fueled more fear through him. The bright fluorescent bulbs above sparked only terrors of dozens of men with surgical knives that drew near his face. _ Don’t touch me. Take the fucking needles out _. His mind yelled, and all he could see and feel are the ghost of pain that wrecked him to the core.

“Levi!” A couple of shadowed figures loomed over him, then the pair of warm hands that held him steady to the soft bed. 

“He’s going under shock.” The one to his right hissed at the man holding him down. The sound of metal buckles clangs on the frame of the bed was too loud in the white room.

“The captain was fine minutes ago,” Another voice answered, the anxiety that coated those words tugged at his head like a piece of a clue to the person he knew. Then, the press of fingers on his shoulders tightened, but not in a painful way like the binds on his wrists. 

Eventually, Levi’s blurred vision refocused until he squinted against the blinding light on the ceiling. Grisha Yeager’s stern storm-grey eyes bore down on him, with thick brows that furrowed in concentration right in the middle of his forehead. “Breath, Levi, that’s it. In and out, but slower.”

The doctor guided him through the impending panic attack that never came. Belatedly, Levi noticed Hanji on his other side. The woman had even darker circles under her eyes, with clear distress behind her gaze. The beeping rhythm of the heart monitor mellowed into a more reasonable beat as the last haze of sedatives Grisha injected into Levi finally worked its way out of his system. “Do you remember where you are?” Grisha probe gently, but refused to lift his hands from Levi’s shoulders.

His tongue felt so dry like sandpaper, but Levi tried to speak as he got his bearings back to the present. “Your...clinic,” Levi muttered, his voice hoarse, wondering how much he had actually been screaming his lungs out before regaining any control to himself.

Grisha nodded and stepped back. Hanji visibly slumped onto a stool right next to Levi and ran her fingers through her hair. Relief flooded through her like a pleasurable gust of air. “Caused us quite a scare last night you know.” She said, before shaking her head and actually shot him a glare. “I simply can’t believe you’re this crazy enough to try hypnosis.” Then, she fixed her glare at Grisha Yeager. “And I can’t believe you know shit about it either!”

On any other day, Levi would’ve taken a video at the unhinged scientist, but wisely kept his mouth shut while the distress rolled in waves out of Hanji from the tiny gestures. Grisha stood back and glanced at the beeping heart monitor. “I’ve learned a few things on the craft from my time in Hizuru. Buddhists call it meditation, but with the right coaxing, and technique on instructions. The body would be pliant enough, and detached toward distractions and obstructions within mental barriers such as trauma-”

Levi cleared his throat to grab the doctor’s attention and tried to lift his tied up hands. “If you don’t mind, these things are getting irritating.” 

While the two scientists worked to loosen the buckles of the restraints. Levi felt cold dread envelop him like a blanket. Ever since the bizarre message on his drafts. All he ever thought about was breaking past that mental wall that separated him from the trauma of war and the present. The military clearly erased whatever occurred during the last conflict in Paradis. Most of the troops deployed during the attack were stationed far from even Levi’s line of communication. He couldn’t trust the lab coats in the Facility, and the only other person he could turn to was tied to the man he avoided at all cost.

His pride and logic were at war on the 3am drive to Grisha’s home, but as he stumbled to the doctor’s doorstep, he still had the after-effects of whatever party drug he got high on. Grisha didn’t appear shocked or confused at his sickly appearance. “Inside. Now.” Was all the doctor said, but after one stumbling step, Levi reached the end of his limit and would’ve crumpled at the doctor’s front door then and there. For an older man, Grisha had an iron grip. Even during Levi’s delirious state of high, the man kept him tethered to reality. Though he was definitely lightheaded, Grisha managed to lay him down on the couch and kept him conscious by asking routine medical questions.

“What happened?” Grisha’s question went on deaf ears. A penlight was flashed on Levi’s right eye, but he ignored it as nothing in his line of sight made sense.

“Shitty bartender spiked my booze.” Levi slurred. All he saw were a multitude of colors that danced along his field of vision that shouldn’t even be there in the first place. 

“You should’ve gone straight to the facility. You shouldn’t have even driven here in the first place! What if you got killed?” A bitter laugh came from Levi before he draped an arm over his eyes. Grisha sounded like any other concerned parent. He appreciated the concern, but it did nothing to alleviate the pain.

“I probably should be dead, doc. My fucking brain is killing me by the day.” On cue, Levi hissed as another wave of pain jabbed at his head. 

He’d been only on the very thin line of staying awake and going to sleep when Grisha returned from wherever place the doctor had gone in his home. “I called Hanji and told her about the situation. She’s on her way with Colt to take you to the Facility-”

“No,” Levi hissed, while Grisha knelt next to him and held Levi’s arm out. Without warning, the doctor pressed the needle of the syringe to the crook of the dark-hair soldier’s arm. If he had any more muscle energy left, Levi would’ve lifted an eyebrow to ask what he injected. Speaking itself felt like someone stuffed cotton balls in his mouth. 

“What do you mean no?” The older man pulled the syringe out and set the empty object on the table. “Levi, this isn’t a typical hangover. Your pulse is all over the place, and your temperature is higher than normal. We need to get you to the facility.”

“I need my memories, old man,” Levi muttered, but unsure whether Grisha heard him. His body was shutting down, and whatever Grisha shot in him forcibly drags him to sleep. “I need to remember him, please.” 

At the end of it all. Levi slept for a solid twelve hours. Colt had to file a report that Levi wasn’t fit to go into the simulation until Grisha deemed him healthy enough. Tybur had sent his regards that Levi must be up and ready the day after tomorrow for the next wave simulation. “As he quoted. The wave would be a trial run for a new battle plan Tybur concocted to finally conquer Trost.” Colt explained as he settled to sit by Grisha’s long workbench. His legs crossed on the ankles while typing away on the laptop on his lap.

It was typical behavior from the commander. Tybur wouldn’t let his soldiers slack under the tight pressure. He recalled those months, where soldiers under the weather were only given two options. Get back up on their feet and go out the frontlines, or be sent out of the encampment to fend for themselves in a foreign land. While Levi literally only had his job to lose. He always had those doubts, Tybur wouldn't just let him off like a stray mutt on the streets. “Tell him that I’ll be back at the facility in time for the second wave.”

“Levi-”

“Don’t give me your concern Hanji,” He spat back at the professor, and evident hurt crossed her features, but also deep exhaustion. “What exactly happened to me anyway Doc?” 

Grisha adjusted his glasses and checked the clipboard in his hands. “Just some cheap party drugs, but with the amount of alcohol you consumed. It sent a different reaction to your system.” The doctor lifted his eyes and leaned back against the wall close to the doorframe. “I can give you some fluids to help flush out the drug from your system, but I also suggest you don’t move yet after...the whole psychosis we’ve done.”

The air was heavy with unspoken tension that Levi knew where the topic headed. He shifted on the gurney until he was able to sit up and swung his legs to the edge of the bed. Physically, he knew that nothing was amiss. Even as he stared down at the cold metal arm that shifted and moved as if it were his old limb. Often, during his cadet days, Levi paid a visit to the war veterans at the retirement home. Back then, he found veterans who lost their limbs were also on the verge of losing their minds. Though now, as he stared at the smooth metal contours of his new arm, he finally understood why they still winced and clutch at thin air. A dull pain never left, and try as he did for months to forget. He was chained to those few hours at the dark time of the night. 

Ghost aches of the past exist, and he was only human to try and run from whatever transpired that evening. “I, um remember something from that night,” Levi said evenly, and everyone’s focus was on him. Colt closed his laptop and Grisha lowered his hold on the clipboard, but it was Hanji’s reaction that Levi focused on. The woman stiffened as if bracing for Levi to lash out, or yell at her. His fingers tightened on its hold along the edge of the gurney. “That night, I fought for the Eldians. I wore the scout’s cloak, and wielded their weapons as I did in the game.”

Levi tried to rub his nose as if the stench of smoke and blood still lingered on his shirt and jeans. “They took me back here...Tybur personally hauled me back to Marley for insubordination.” The more Levi said it, the clearer those memories came. The headaches didn’t send chills down his spine anymore. All he could recall were those snake-like eyes of Tybur as he leaned closer to Levi on the beach and whispered.

“You think you may have won in defending Eldia, but with what I have planned. I’ll see to it that you kill the Nephilim with your own hands.”

Repeating the very words that his old commander spoke, Levi couldn’t stop thinking about the life that he lost. Being in Marley with what he recalled made his skin crawl. Out of everyone in the small clinic, he knew what Tybur was capable of doing. The man didn’t throw threats without carrying them out. “But that’s not possible. There’s no attack on Eldia for over a year.” Colt spoke out but wasn’t entirely convinced either of his own words. “Who are the Nephilim anyways?”

“Just fairytales.” Hanji murmured but glanced at Levi as if expecting him to contradict. While he had some answers to his questions, only a long list of mysteries came. “In Eldia, there were stories about a kingdom hidden deep within Colossal Peaks. It spoke about the origins of the Eldian race. The Nephilim were Eldians that had the blood of angels.”

Levi remembered his own mother telling similar narratives about the angel blood in Eldians. “ It’s why we were called as such, Eldia literary means Elder Angels. The meeting point of heaven and earth is somewhere in the most ancient city on the island. Deep within the mountains.” Levi added and tried to stand up. He still felt weak, but the lingering effects of the drug didn’t dull his senses anymore. He managed to stay on his own two feet. “I don’t know what time it is, but I am fucking hungry,” Levi grumbled, and to everyone’s shock, Grisha let out a booming laugh.

“That’s the most mundane thing you’ve said all night Ackerman.” The older man pulled out his phone and began tapping away while turning to the door. “Why don’t you all stay over for tonight, and we can discuss more on this topic with food on the table.”

To Levi's not-so-surprise, the doctor didn’t cook his food aside from breakfast. All four of them settled into Grisha’s cozy living room. The kitchen only had a center island table with three bar stools, and not enough space to dine on. Boxes filled with medical supplies and instant coffee occupied most of Grisha’s countertops. The refrigerator even lacked any ingredients to cook unless they preferred to use the doctor’s microwavable selections. Colt and Levi settled down on the couch adjacent to the plush black leather chair with a high-backrest that Hanji occupied. Grisha sat on an identical brown chair closer to the television but having shrugged off the lab coat appearing more at home with his loose beige long sleeve shirt and grey sweatpants.

Hanji managed to get Levi some of his own spare clothes from his guest room at the facility. He’d be lying to say that he was grateful to remove his buttoned-down navy-blue shirt that stank of alcohol and sweat. He changed into a pair of black sweatpants, and a v-neck plain white shirt that he only often wore when heading to the gym. Colt slumped back and shuffled slightly away from Levi, keeping a safe distance away. Levi didn’t blame Hanji’s assistant. He’d been throwing glares at Hanji whenever the four-eyed woman glanced his way. “I hope you guys aren’t allergic to seafood. I ordered Japanese take-out and sushi!” Grisha announced while still holding his phone between his ear and shoulder down the hallway.

As the doctor was preoccupied, Levi pounced at the moment to corner Hanji. “Don’t you dare avoid this anymore because I’ve been suspecting this for a while.” Levi began, and Hanji tucked her legs closer to her body with those deer caught in the headlights expression on her face. “No more hiding Hanji, you got some explaining that’s long overdue because of your project.”

“I told you before that lives are at stake if you knew the truth. ” Hanji mumbled and wrapped her arms around her legs while resting her chin on her knees and looked at him curiously. “But since you are remembering more about your past. All I can tell you is that what I said before was true. I came to Marley because they approved my project and brought it to reality. You coming back was a surprise even to me.” She mumbled and laced her fingers together. “A year ago, Erwin sent me an email in the middle of the night. I knew Eldia was under attack, but I was still on probation and couldn’t leave. Moblit assured me that casualties were to be kept low since citizens within Wall Maria were moved to Rose.”

Colt’s eyes widened and stared at Hanji as if seeing her in a new light. “Two years ago, you were obsessed with long transmittal cameras and remote-controlled robotics. Did you intend to use the cameras to spy on Marley?” 

Hanji’s face paled and even appeared appalled by the thought, but even Levi saw the benefit of such use of technology. She had the advantage to spy for the Eldian Military without drawing suspicion because of her studies. “You _ are _ spying for the King, aren’t you.”

“Not at first.” Hanji finally admitted, and Colt groaned while running a hand through his face. From down the hallway, Grisha reappeared with a gentle smile on his face, and Levi couldn’t help but actually study the man critically. Levi tried to find the similarities between the doctor, and the gem-eyed brat that placed feather-like steps along the edges of his memory. “Will you turn me in?” 

Throughout the entire ordeal with the LifeLine program, there wasn’t a reason for Tybur to suspect Levi again on insubordination. In the Marleyan commander’s mind, he had Levi right where he needed him. Hanji would always be a variable he had to watch out for. And then, there’s Colt. Where did his loyalties lie, and so were Grisha’s? “When I first entered the facility, I was hesitant to be partnered with an Eldian scientist with little to no working experience in Marley.” Colt began while keeping his head down. It had occurred repeatedly as an option for Levi to simply turn Hanji in if it weren’t for Tybur’s orders to keep an eye on her. “If you’d asked me two years ago, I would’ve turned you in without batting an eye.” The young assistant deadpanned, but his answer surprised Hanji.

“You mean-” Hanji began, and a hint of a smile lifted the corners of Colt’s lips.

“I knew something was off with the LifeLine program. The schematics and insanely high definition display of the simulation beat anything computer-generated gameplays could replicate. I doubted you could’ve pulled it off and kept updating it without lowering the game feed's standard.” Colt summarized, and Hanji winced at every word, but couldn’t help the growing smile on her face. 

Levi, on the other hand, scoffed and crossed his arms over his chest. The weight in the air dissipated by a fraction. “How long have you noticed something was off?” Levi asked Colt directly while the man placed a hand under his chin and stroked the growing stubble of his bread.

“During the First Wave,” Colt admitted and stared up at the ceiling of Grisha’s home. “When you swapped characters between Commander Erwin Smith and Eren Kruger.” Colt shook his head and whistled. “You were like a demon. And _ I’ve _ seen, and set the limit of actions that characters are capable of doing within the game.” 

  
Hanji groaned and hid her face in her hands, and even Levi realized the flaw in LifeLine’s battle limits. “Erwin’s energy was nearly depleted. The commander wouldn’t be able to move once it reaches the zero limit. Kruger was also active on defense, his energy should’ve gone down to even in half from having to defend Erwin through the playfield. Being able to fight through the wave without draining Kruger’s energy was a glitch in the system.” Levi summarized while Grisha lifted an eyebrow towards Hanji’s direction.

  
“Kruger. You placed his avatar in the game?” 

  
“He’s a known Marleyan soldier, and the perfect fit for the role in the game,” Hanji said in her defense before sitting up straighter and looked around the three men with her. “So, none of you would turn me in?”

Grisha was the first to break his silence with a soft chuckle and shrugged his shoulders. “If this is a time for confessions, then I must be as equally guilty in the novice art of espionage as you are Zoe.”

“You’re a spy as well?” Colt said in disbelief, causing the doctor to laugh louder. 

“No, I don’t work for the Eldian military, but I also don’t agree with their medical practices either.” Grisha grimaced and shifted his gaze between Levi and Hanji. “I’ve known Djel since my time in university. He was brilliant when it came to human anatomy. Yet when the dean of the neurologist department found him drugging up orphan children for his doctoral. He was dropped out of the field. When I heard the news from Zeke about a neurologist within the Facility, I feared the worst. It was partially the reason I volunteered to do the medical testing of soldiers that go through the facility. I wouldn’t put it past Djel to continue his human experimentation.”

“For short, you were also keeping an eye on me with your own agenda.” Levi summarized. The doctor’s imploring questions about his mental health above his recovery from PTSD suddenly seemed different after knowing the doctor's motives. “You care about your son here, but what of Eren? He is your son too.” He nearly spat, and Grisha could only offer him a sad smile.

“When I adopted Eren, it was out of the request from Carla, it depended on his freedom if nothing else. I knew he was in capable hands with the King’s Order. Since the war escalated, I couldn’t communicate with him anymore. Erwin cut off his ties with me, and I am just as equally surprised and the two of you on Hanji’s own agendas.” 

“So, only I have direct contact with Erwin in Eldia,” Hanji said and pulled out her phone from her pocket. “LifeLine began as a project to be a substitute for rescue volunteers who needed to go into dangerous territories. The Marleyan military, however, saw it fit to calibrate it as substitutes for high ranking generals. We have test droids going through deserted cities in Eldia as testing grounds for the program. If I calibrate it to move differently, Djel would only reconfigure it to do the job it needs to do.”

A cold dread began to seep into him as he realized the implications of Hanji’s creation. “Hanji...how many test droids are out there?” Levi found himself asking and even the gears in Colt’s head began to whirl. 

“Shit,” Colt powered his laptop back up again and began to tapping away madly through whatever database the guy was on. 

“There are only a couple dozen droids for testing Levi. All of them are accounted for, and only several were deployed on ground zero in Eldia for testing. Look, even if you go through my emails with Erwin, he made sure that no civilians lingered along with the destroyed towns. 

“It's not that Hanji,” Levi murmured, as more and more of Tybur and Djel’s plans came to fruition for Levi. “What if the cease-fire isn’t Marley’s only motive, what if they are withdrawing soldiers to unleash a different army.”

The knock on the door caused the four of them to flinch and tensed up. Levi was on his feet, and Hanji shifted in her seat in a way that both of her feet were firmly planted on the carpet, knees slightly bent and ready to spring in any direction. In the heavy silence, no one spoke until another knock came from the front door. “Um, sushi platter order for Mr. Grisha Yeager!” A high-pitch squeak from a teenage kid in the uneven balance of puberty said.

Grisha exhaled and so did the rest in the room as the doctor made his way to the door. He snatched his wallet from the bowl on the coffee table. “You kids would like this platter of sushi. Their California maki was to die for.” Grisha supplied in a means to lighten the mood, and to some extent, Colt and Hanji did relax, but Levi opted to follow the doctor to his front door to greet the delivery boy. 

At Grisha’s front door, a scrawny kid, no older than fourteen stood awkwardly with the overly large delivery box in one hand and a round paper container in the other that he balanced precariously on his thin arm. He had a black baseball cap with a Japanese fox mask icon in the middle. The kid had curly red hair with a spray of freckles on his face, but he fidgeted on his feet. Eager to just up and leave after collecting his money. That or Levi’s scowl made him uncomfortable enough. “That’ll be thirty dollars, sir.” He mumbled and went to stare at his shoes rather than face Levi’s never-changing glare.

“Hand it over already, kid.” Levi reached for the paper container of sushi, and the kid’s eyes grew wide in fear, and all but shoved the platter in Levi’s arms to place some distance between them. 

“Don’t scare the kid, Ackerman, you look like you’re going to murder him.” Grisha chides half-heartedly and gave the kid a hefty tip, which made him beam at the doctor and nodded his thanks. Levi was about to head inside while Grisha checked if the kid got on his bike on his merry way. “See, that wasn’t so bad. You should smile more often, Levi.” He remarked, and even Hanji from the living room laughed with him.

A sarcastic retort was at the tip of his tongue, ready to lash out on Hanji when goosebumps stood on end at the back of his neck. Just as Levi turned to look at where Grisha stood. The doctor recoiled as if he was hit. Levi only had seconds to react as he saw the crimson red stain that quickly soaked through Grisha’s midsection. The doctor staggered back, and Levi steadied him with one arm. From the corner of his left peripheral vision, an oval object was hurled at the direction of the apartment by a man ducked behind an armored vehicle. How, Levi missed the car’s approach, and let his guard down drove his remaining senses into overdrive.

He shoved the door shut, and dropped to the ground, with Grisha underneath him. “Hanji, Colt get down!” Soon after the words left his mouth, everything went into chaos.


	13. Through The Storm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What’s up, everyone! Yes, we got ourselves an update sooner after the last one! I’ll admit that the last chapter was a struggle for me to write because it originally wasn’t supposed to start with Levi’s point of view, but after a bit of a read back from the previous chapters, I came to the conclusion that it needed to be written that way in order to move forward to the story. From this point on, the story will be getting intense for the next few chapters :). The reason for that is because we won’t be seeing present Levi for a while. Yes, that’s right. It’s Eren’s time to shine for the meantime. Don’t forget to comment, kudos on what you think about the chapter! Also, if you guys want to reach me, I have a twitter, @LeoInDee. Well, then, enjoy!

It’s been more than thirteen years since he’d walked through a completely desolated city. Eren hopped out of the train and hoisted the strap of his backpack up his right shoulder. The silence of the underground unnerved him. It all contributed much to the growing fear of being under the earth. He’d always avoided taking trains that took him directly through Sina’s underground railway system. After the storm that hit Eldia, the King made it a point to still proceed with the evacuations. 

“Take the underground. I know it’s dangerous with the black market, and some resistant forces still lingering within the defense lines of the city but it’s the only way we could safely move residents to get them to the northern province,” Erwin explained while hunched down on the well-worn map of Eldia’s railway system. 

King Rowan looked thoughtfully on the drawn path that Erwin laid down, his index finger tracing along the narrow lanes of the railways. “We need to move more than thousands of citizens without drawing attention from the Marleyan military.” The King lifted his eyes from the map and glanced at Eren. The green-eyed swordsman studied the map himself and didn’t like the estimated time to transfer people would lead to more than three weeks. It didn’t take into account the time from the northern provinces to ready for their own move. 

“This will consume more than a month,” Eren mumbled and crossed his arms, not at all pleased with the time it took for the evacs. “The other day Sasha noticed some movement over at Orvud.” He reported the main concern as soon as the fog during the early mornings began to thin.

Erwin lifted a brow and stood up while his cool blue eyes began to turn gears in his head as a new problem arose. “Take the train and investigate what’s going on at Orvud. There should still be one line that connects the capital to the outer districts.” 

“I’m going at it alone?” Though the question already had an automatic answer, and Eren still found it in himself to hope he didn’t need to look out for others during missions that the King assigns him to. He missed doing things on his own, even though the last time he had a solo mission was before he’d been placed to keep an eye on Levi Ackerman. 

“No,” The King and Erwin said in unison, which only spurred Eren to roll his eyes at their silly behavior. 

“You both know I’m not technically a kid. I can handle it.” He didn’t need to remind them that when it came to a fight, Eren could beat any opponent. The only exception lived an ocean away. 

Erwin gave him a lopsided smile. The blond knew where the line of thoughts Eren had gone for and cleared his throat. “True, but we also know of your anxieties with tight spaces.” Eren tried not to show any response to the only weakness he’s yet to overcome. The progress Levi tried so hard to give him the past year reduced to nothing without his distractions. “The train goes directly to the underground. We’ll send a few men from the Garrison to secure a path for the evacuees. Stay on top of the investigation, but don’t move on your own. I will go with Mike’s squad to make sure the gear reaches Wall Rose for testing in Shiganshina.”

“And how exactly would you and Mike get there in time?” Eren shot back, not liking the idea of being held back to stay within the kingdom. He hadn’t seen or heard from Sasha or Connie in a while, and Jean left the dorm just yesterday for a job request from Hannes. He barely had an inkling on where the rest of his own squad went before being summoned to the meeting.

“They’ll travel through the national roads,” The King stated as if the answer was too obvious. “The express lanes would cut their travel down to just hours than the usual two days if they’d detoured through the different towns and cities from Sina capital and Rose. 

His two commanders left no room for any counter-argument 0that Eren just resigned himself to his fate. The short journey on the train was uneventful to ease his nerves, Eren slept through the eight-hour train ride. Occasionally, one of the train’s staff would wake him and ask to change trains a couple of times whenever they’ve crossed over to a new station. He bet that Erwin didn’t count on the destroyed routes that could cut the journey in half. It had been months since Moblit and Rico detonated the lines that remained between Sina and Rose. They even blocked all entrances from the west and east province after the Marleyan military began to seige the walls of Rose from Karanese. 

The hit was particularly hard for Eren knowing it was the place he’d first began to fight for Eldia rather than a master. People evacuated, but the casualty count during the fight with the Marleyans left only a quarter of the city to survive. The added weight on his pack only quickens his exhaustion during Eren’s tough task of climbing up the steps out of the underground. Aside from his standard scout’s cloak, spare clothes, and a couple of daggers. The heaviness in his pack was just purely due to the LifeLine gear that Moblit urged him to bring. Just in case another wave came, and they needed to sync with the program. Off the right side, Eren glared at the escalator that ceased to work. 

It was Dirk, one of Pixis’s men that waited for him at the top of the staircase. The rose emblem was hard to miss, as was the man’s blond hair with dark red tips. Pixis had his fair shares of men that liked to bend the rules on hair colors, much like horse-face. Dirk pressed a hand over his heart in salute, and Eren followed. “Glad to see a friendly face, Yeager? The rest of my squadron is down at the city hall.” Dirk stood at least a head higher than Eren with a more willowy built that reminded him so much of Bertolt, if not for the difference in hair and branch in the military. 

Eren didn’t know what to expect exactly from Orvun, a city just west of Trost. The first city on the King’s list to evacuate. Many in the city were students because it was the academic capital of Rose. Young families and scholars lived along the streets while most of the universities have the same standings as Sina University. Most of the younger population was centralized towards the east side of the city where the medical hospitals were located. Dirk and he walked through the deserted street and rounded the corner block the Garrison's humvees was parked. Another Garrison soldier sat behind the wheel, and Dirk nodded toward the back of the car for Eren to store his bag and hopped in. A strange siren wailed through the already silent streets causing both of the soldiers at the front to grimace. 

“Sorry about that but it's the only sound that would scurry those teens into their homes for curfew,” Dirk explained while his partner pulled out of the parking lot. Eren slumped back in his seat and drowned out the small chatter happening at the front of the car by observing the city pass by his window. He noticed that even the shops and office buildings closed as early as 7pm. 

“Have there been any sightings of Marleyan planes?” Eren asked. Both soldiers shook their heads. The other had a buzz cut similar to Connie, but that’s where their similarities stop. Bronze skin, and a receding hairline, the man had smile wrinkles along the corners of his eyes but hardly given Eren attention with his eyes firmly on the road. 

“No signs, sir,” The older man answered. Dirk hummed in agreement while leaning his head against the window. “Our orders from Pixis to escort you first to the hotel and then pick you up in the morning to discuss the sightings that Braus and Springer reported.”

Eren crossed his arms and let out a yawn already feeling bored out of his mind and for once glad that he brought his laptop to pass the time in the hotel room. Maybe he’d have the rest of the evening to himself, and placed a rather large chunk of the time editing the photos he’d taken a month ago during a quick trip with Armin and Mikasa. The limestone caverns that Historia and Ymir discovered became a welcome distraction from the silent war. He’d gotten used to knowing nothing much from Hanji or Erwin. In fact, for all he knew, the commander would’ve been filtering whatever news to tell about the enemy’s movement.

By the time Dirk had dropped Eren off the hotel, he would be staying at for the next two weeks. The first thing he did in the room was dropped the heavy backpack and pulled Levi’s laptop out. It took a lot of convincing from Armin to even bypass Levi’s password and gain access to his laptop and email. His heart thundered in his chest whenever he saw the black screen lit up. No matter how many days passed since he wrote the email to Levi, he still hoped that the Corporal would notice something odd in his email. He told no other soul about the contact he tried to establish, and Armin, ever faithful only wished him luck and be careful. 

His phone rang, and to his surprise, he nearly didn’t pick up right away since he grew suspicious whenever the first three digits showed the area code of Marley. It has been so long since he's heard from any of them. “Hello,”

“Long time no talk, idiot,” Annie replied in her usual uninterested voice. It reminded him so much of Levi, but Annie simply just sounded bored when it didn't directly concern her. Eren sat on the edge of the giant bed and pushed the laptop near the center while he waited for the wifi to connect.

“What’s your business anyway Annie? You never tried to reach out to us after the whole training program a year ago. How’d you even get my number anyway?” He asked straight to the point, recalling the first forty-eight hours within Shiganshina’s Survey Corps office. Moblit asked the cadets up and down if they had contact information with any of the soldiers that came with Levi. None of them did and Rico shot down the idea to ask for recon help from the Marleyan cadets since it would be too huge of a risk.

There was a sound of a sort of radio in the background, and while Eren tried to strain on hearing what the radio talked about even if he barely understood the Marleyan language. Annie, Bertolt, and Reiner spoke minimal Eldic words, but English became their middle ground. “Your other friend, Marco gave Bertolt a little booklet filled with the phone numbers of our squadron.” Eren froze, he did remember a small black notebook that Marco passed around the long table during the last week of the training program. Back then, he’d been too distracted by Levi's injuries to think nothing about writing his number in. Mentally, he wanted to punch himself and curse at his own recklessness. If Annie could call him, then there were higher chances that the notebook could still be passed around.

As if reading his thoughts, Annie added. “Bertolt burned the notebook, don’t worry. Also, this is a disposable phone, so after this call, you won’t hear from us again unless you find another way.” He didn’t realize how tense he was, until he slowly unclenched his fingers, and exhaled heavily. “If you’re okay with this arrangement, let’s get into the reason I called.” Annie started, and from a hushed conversation behind her. Eren could figure out that she wasn’t alone, but the voice sounded oddly similar to Reiner. “The other day, there were talks in the camp about the ground troops being pulled back to the battleships. Bertolt, Reiner, and I signed up for the LifeLine program since that crazy scientist, Hanji Zoe also worked on it.”

Eren stayed quiet as the information sunk to him. It wasn’t new, in fact, Hanji supplied the exact same detail to Moblit days ago. It shocked him that Annie and her friends were telling him anything at all.  _ How much did they really know about LifeLine? _ He found himself wondering. “I’m calling to tell you that more is coming.”

“What do you mean?” Eren’s brows furrowed at Annie’s words. Every participant of the LifeLine program was accounted for. The latest shipment of gear from Hanji was coming as well. 

Annie hesitated, before her explaining the rest that Eren was thankful he managed to understand everything she spoke quickly of. “There’s another group of scientists that butts heads with Dr. Zoe’s team. Dr. Djel is also part of the LifeLine program. I don’t exactly know what this simulation does, but his own test machines are being deployed in replace of the recon team of Marley. The other day, Dr. Zoe and his assistant didn’t report for work. We asked about where they were and this other scientist, Djel, merely said that they went to Captain Levi’s home since he called in sick.”

Worry didn’t even scratch the surface of what Eren felt. He knew his lover suffered from amnesia, and that he barely recalled anything from before going to Paradis. A part of him wondered if his action caused more harm than good. “I bet he’s just hungover. He went drinking with us the other night, and the midget can take a lot more alcohol than your average soldier. Dr. Zoe’s probably just babying him." 

For a moment, Eren couldn’t help but laugh and pity Levi for the state he was in. Until the pressing matter remained, with Annie’s warning about another rival group of scientists. He wanted to tell Annie more about LifeLine and its implications, but that would leave Hanji vulnerable in Marley. In the end, he just reassured Annie to be careful. He promised that he’ll try to find a way to contact them but avoid using his personal number again. Not unless something bad happened at Marley. “By the way, thank you.” He added, just before hanging up on Annie. A pregnant pause followed, and Eren’s eyes widened at the actual sound of Annie giving a small laugh.

“I should be thanking you for making sure I got back home without losing my position in the Marleyan military.” Annie quickly hung up after that. Eren couldn’t help but feel happy that he still had friends even on enemy territory. 

Dinner was brought up to his room since he didn’t want to eat alone at such a grand restaurant in the hotel. The thought of eating somewhere fancy amid evacuations didn’t sit right with him. After a warm meal, and a quick shower, he finally settled under the covers and pulled Levi’s laptop on his lap. Eren developed an evening routine to check Levi’s emails, for any reply to his drafts. While his inboxed remained empty on most days. He tried not to snoop into some personal emails sent. Though he laughed when he spotted the exchange of emails between Levi and Hanji as if nothing changed between their interaction. 

Eren didn’t expect much, and maybe it had been that minimal expectation that caused his heart to nearly stop beating as a new draft came. He stared at it for a long moment, the previous email was updated and edited. With shaking hands, he clicked on the email and read the simple question over and over again. Eren could practically hear his lover’s serious low voice through the simple question. _ “ _ ** _How do you know me?_ ** _ ” _

During those moments, he truly wished he had his friends with him. What was the right thing to say? Eren felt like he was back to square one. Where he didn’t know how to even talk to Levi. Back then, he had his loyalties to King Rowan, and distrust for Marley to direct his interaction with Levi. He hesitated, fingers above the keyboard, unsure of what to reply or how much to even begin telling. Eren had been in such a situation before with Erwin. They’ve tried to talk to Levi through Hanji’s program, but it ended up only pushing him away. Without Armin, he’s completely on his own. If he fucked up, he wouldn’t get a chance to communicate with Levi anymore.

**“You’re Marley’s wolf, everyone knows you.”** He hit send and left the draft alone to auto-save the update. 

Levi must’ve been on his computer similarly to Eren because the words he’d written got deleted and new ones began to replace it.  **“Not everyone has access to my computer. Now answer the question. How do you know me?”** The hard part about the exchange of messages is the fact that Eren had no idea how to read Levi’s intentions. The Ackerman had a stoic face, but the subtle change in his tone made a huge difference for Eren. Electronically messaging each other only complicated how he would respond to Levi. While he simmered in his thoughts, the draft updated again, causing Eren’s focus to return to the screen, and his eyes nearly popped out of his sockets.  **“Look creep, if you have access to my computer, I could literally just change my password now, and you would be kicked out of my email. The fact I’m still chatting with you means, you’re not some smart-ass from work or any dick from the military. Don’t elude the question, Brat.”**

He could definitely hear the sass behind the words that always left him feeling giddy and irritated at the same time. Sucking in a deep breath, Eren composed his reply.  **“We’ve trained together. Or rather, we were always at each other’s throats.”**

**“You wrote me an email about stuff I don’t understand. What do you want me to remember?”**

Instead of answering the question, Eren quickly typed in his own inquiry and hoped at least that the Levi he’s chatting with was as honest and open as the Levi he’d dated a year ago.  ** _“_ ** **How much do you remember?** ” 

The wait for the reply only amplified his impatience. It was the first time in literal months that he’d last spoken or text with Levi directly. So many unsaid questions and words needed to be said. In any other lifetime, he might applaud himself to the immense amount of self-control he’d mustered for a year. 

** _“_ ** **I remember bits and pieces. Not concrete memories, but I know they are there. One memory, however, kept haunting me. That day I was pulled out from Paradis. The Marleyans took me, didn’t they? I just don’t remember why I even stayed, or why they needed me back so desperately. Care to shed some light on this?** ** _”_ **

Eren had to reread the statement repeatedly. Something didn’t sit right with him, and again, he debated if Levi’s drafts were being watched. Nothing through the past messages had anything for him to go by that was odd, even throughout Levi’s crass words. The light patter of rain drew his attention to the window. It was that dreary wet season in Eldia that Eren used to enjoy snuggled under the covers with a book in hand, and Levi’s warmth by his side. He missed those blissful days of playing footsie with Levi that often left the Raven sometimes cranky whenever he would stretch his feet out which forced the other to lie down on the bed just to reach his toes. 

**“I don’t know where to begin for you, but I know you will remember what’s important soon.”**

**“Fuck it Eren, please, just tell me. Please, I can’t take these gaps anymore.”** The reply came almost too quickly that Eren hesitated a lot on replying. There were only a handful of moments where Levi had shown desperation. But it stirred conflicting emotions within him.

Eren’s mind went back to the evening before they both marched off for battle. He walked into their shared bedroom to find Levi staring intently at the broken fragments of the ancient sword. It’s limestone green hue along the hilt had dulled since the magic that binds it vanished. Levi had his gear on, sans the blades and gas canisters that would propel him up the walls. There’s sadness behind those gunmetal eyes as he approached him. “Whatever happens on the beach, if somehow they take me back. Don’t you ever trust a word I say alright.”

“But-”

“Eren, this isn’t something negotiable, it’s an order,” Levi said sternly, and the weight of the words made him flinch. Ever since Eren began to accept the Raven more than just his sworn sword, the other tried his best to avoid using commands to him. The finality behind each order gave Eren no more room to object especially if Levi had the final say. There was a moment of guilt that crossed Levi’s face before he turned away from him. “I may be your new corporal, but I am not Levi Ackerman once I step foot on Marley alright. I’m just another soldier that wants to see Eldia surrender.” 

The words were painful, but even if he tried, Eren was literally bound by the words. He’d promised Levi to follow his own instructions if, and only if he brought back to Marley. Steeling himself, Eren wrote out his reply.  **“You told me to trust your plan here Corporal. I won’t talk until you remember.”**

Once the draft was saved he waited, but after counting down to a hundred fifty, Levi didn’t reply. The urge to add more to his statement ran through his mind, but he said what had to be said. Levi needed to remember on his own. It was all his and Erwin’s idea of a stupid back-up plan behind Eren's back.  _ If you knew, you’d never agree on any of it. _ The thought ran through his head and after another fifteen minutes of waiting, he closed Levi’s laptop and turned in for the night. Letting the sound of rain fill the quietness of the overly large room and distract the loneliness he felt. 

*****

Tybur slammed the useless laptop shut, and threw it across the room. The scientists under Djel’s team all flinched at the sudden action, but none dared to look or even speak up as the commander began pacing the length of the room. “Useless! All of you are fucking useless!” Tybur’s face turned a shade of red, and veins popped along his neck as he continued to yell. Losing all composure as once again, valued information had slipped past him. Erwin Smith eluded him yet again on discovering the whereabouts of not just the King, but the members of his court. The President was already on his neck wanting actual results from securing Eldia under the Marleyan banner after ground troops were pulled back for the LifeLine droids.

If they don’t have results by the end of the month, the President would go for his original plan. He needed to get those relics from the King before it was too late. The power held by the last remaining Nephilim could grant him control beyond anything in the world. Djel stood close to the door that led to the secluded room where they kept the subject detained. Through most of the Commander’s outburst, he remained so silent that if it were possible, he would mold himself into the wall. One of the apprentice scientists approached Djel and gave his report.

“The, um subjects are ready for interrogations again.” The younger man with dirty blond hair and a crooked tie under his lab coat said timidly.

Tybur’s piercing eyes whipped toward the scientist and growled so low that if it were possible, Djel would’ve bet the poor young man would’ve pissed himself. “Oh thank you for saying the fucking obvious.” Again, Djel opts to not talk knowing anything minor comment, or even a chuckle would set the Commander off. 

He did have some good news to tell Tybur that might tip the scales of the war to their favor. LifeLine would soon be his after all. It wasn’t until Tybur finally relaxed into more leisure pacing around the small room did Djel detached himself from the wall and came toward him. “He’s conscious enough now to talk to you.”

That was all Djel had to say because the murderous glare in Tybur’s eyes showed through the smile that curled his lips. “I’ll leave his interrogation last. Call Zeke and have him come down with Yelena. I have much to discuss with them for the future of this project.”

“What of Professor Zoe and her team of players?” Djel probed, his eyes stayed on every minor or major shift in the Commander’s movements. The other man fixed his tie and rolled up the sleeves of his dark blue long sleeves. He could still see the manic light in Tybur’s stone grey eyes while moving toward the door. 

“Gather those cadets after I’ve talked with Ackerman. I’ll have him cooperating before the second wave.” Tybur walked out from the room with the same burning anger that could haze an entire battalion without a bat of his eye. It had only been on a few occasions that Djel saw the same cold glare, and on those moments it involved plans not going his way. There was no doubt that soon, Eldia’s walls would burn to the ground if Tybur had full reigns on his plans.

*****

Months had passed since Erwin set foot on Shiganshina. None of his visits held any good omens or even a hint of good news while he observed the large train carts being lowered onto the rails. Some of his men, Mike, Eld, and Armin, still drabbed in Marleyan uniforms had greeted the crew and captain at old dry docks of Paradis Beach and intercepted the LifeLine gear. It was a challenge to find any Marleyan soldier’s uniform that wasn’t battered by bullet holes or ripped in two by blades. Stripping down corpses wasn't an ideal task to hand over to the new cadets, and some even turned green at the state of the decaying bodies left for the scavenger animals on the shores. He sat on top of a white stallion that the farmers back at the Survey Corp’s Shiganshina branch provided. Since fuel was limited for the cargo trucks, and with so few vehicles available, it was left to riding out on horses. The other challenge was dragging the large load through five miles of railings, and following the map towards the train tracks connecting to Trost that wasn't destroyed by Moblit's handiwork. The plan was to haul them the rest of the way with a miniature motor car along the tracks that ran all the way back to Shiganshina and straight for Trost.

Armin’s hand lightly brushed with Erwin’s as the young, blond cadet pulled his horse to stand by the commander’s. “Moblit mentioned that the Marleyans would hold another simulation soon.” Erwin squeezed Armin’s hand lightly. He knew about Hanji’s warning of another round with the droids. Erwin pulled away as Mike jumped down from the train cart and went over to the small motor car that would tug the whole shipment back to Eldia. Out in the open, they tried to be discreet even though the younger was not at all quiet within their shared room.

“Thank you for the report Arlet. Let’s ride out the rest of the evening so we could reach Trost before midnight!” Erwin said curtly that those near them also heard the command.

Some of the soldiers groaned, but none directly protested their concerns to him. He flicked the reins and urged the horse to trot the moment the train cart’s wheels turned. Keeping pace with him, the short blond held himself with a sureness in each move he took. It was one of the reasons why Erwin’s been drawn to the young cadet. The confidence in Armin’s eyes, and sway in his voice when addressing every major or general in the meetings. He’d been constantly told of Armin's potential to be his successor as a field commander. 

“Eren didn’t like being cooped up within the walls you know.” Armin reminded, his eyes stayed forward while riding alongside Erwin. Years back, Erwin thought of the day when the King -his own uncle, revealed Eren's bloodline. The hot-headed brunette didn’t leave his quarters within the castle, nor was he willing to be told what to do. It was only after Erwin discovered the young man nestled within an alcove at the royal library did he truly begin to understand him. Eren was hiding from the previous High General, Tiago Soriano from a lesson with guns. General Tiago at that time wanted to murder Eren for nicking his left ear with a bullet during target practice. His uncle commented on how good Yeager’s aim was, but Tiago all but yelled for the Nephilim to be punished with detention at the Palace cellars, or be sent doing servant duties for a month without pay.

In the end, the King merely suspended Eren from training, but Erwin caught the small smirk of triumph that the cadet had before leaving. “Do you think you can handle him, Erwin?” His uncle asked the minute the doors closed, and it was only them in the room. 

Erwin had no answer back then, but he took the challenge by looking at the new addition to his complicated family. A large paperback book covered his field of vision but Erwin knew that the kid heard him entering the library by the tinkle of the bell near the door and the clang of the Maneuver gear’s harness. Without leaving his gaze from the novel, Eren spoke up. “If you’re here to punish me about General Goatee’s ear, you’re a few hours late.” He muttered as Erwin stepped closer. Sure enough, Erwin saw a large purple bruise along his left jaw. 

“I’m amazed he managed to hit you at all,” Erwin added and settled down to sit near the stack of books by Eren’s feet. The brunette’s eyes stayed on the book in his hands, but at least he didn’t move even with Erwin’s presence. Erwin had only been a squad leader and knew of Eren for six months, barely even having conversations with him because of his training. He heard the feats of the Nephelim through his uncle around the dinner table.

Eren snorted and turned a page on the book. “I already damaged his pride, might as well accept his pity party revenge rather than let those other cadets suffer because of me.” 

“Nice to know you care about your fellow soldiers.” Erwin supplied, keeping his gaze at the warm morning light that slipped through the thick curtains of the high arched windows. 

“I just pick my battles, Smith.” The brunette answered, and Erwin smiled at the thought. Even he was generally intrigued by the Nephelim. He’d been told stories of them for years. The lost bloodline of Eldia. Aside from the gem-like eyes, nothing about Eren was beyond the appearance of any other human. He breathes, eats, sleeps, and even bleeds like Erwin. It was hard for him to perceive that the young man would remain like that, young. Never aging, or dying a mortal death, as he stared at Yeager, he wondered if the boy was lonely? 

“Do you want to fly Eren?” Erwin asked, and he got the reaction he hoped for. Jaded eyes lifted from the pages and stared curiously at him. 

“How exactly?” Eren asked back with a skeptical tone, but his eyes shone with curiosity. It’s then that Erwin understood what moved Eren out from the shell of solitude and brought a little bit more fire in his eyes.

Thinking back on the memory, he sighed heavily and frowned. “I didn’t like keeping him within the kingdom, but he and the few others are the last of their kind. Not only that, Eren’s the oldest.” Erwin glanced around to make sure that none of the other scouts were within earshot as he continued the conversation with Armin. Only a few knew of Eren’s predicament, and those numbers could be countable to Erwin’s fingers. “Marley is still in possession of the Runes of Ymir, if they get a hold of Eren, it’ll be the end of Eldia.”

“And do you honestly think Levi would remember what he meant to do in Marley? He barely recognized Eren!” Armin added, and it's that that did plant the seed of doubt to Erwin. He could buy Levi and Hanji time, but after a year, the King placed the well-being of his people first. Marley, most especially it’s president and that Willy Tybur would not stop until they find a Nephelim to read the ancient text and tip the balance of the world to their evil gains. In his pocket, his phone rang.

“We can only hope that the angels are watching over us,” Erwin muttered and pulled his phone out. He checked the caller ID and relaxed when it was only Moblit. “The cargo is en route for Trost tonight.” He said to the point after answering the call. He knew that the rest of the team dedicated to the LifeLine project along with Moblit and Rico awaited them in the small town. 

“Ah yes, then, Rico and I will await your return Commander, but that’s not the only reason I called,” Moblit said. The stars began to appear across the pale blue skies, one of the newer cadets started to hand out the torchlights to any available hands. Mike led the horses just behind the train cart, but Erwin was sure Nifa and the other cadet, Marco, was a few miles ahead to secure the path. After some brief hesitation, Moblit added. “Hanji requests for Eren to be present during the demo of the new gear. She wants Eren to test it with the rest of the LifeLine squad.”

Erwin stiffened, he and Hanji just spoke days ago how she didn’t trust the upgrades to the gear since the new version was built by Djel. She downright told Moblit and he to triple check the gear through different demo rounds after receiving it, before having Eren or him use it for any actual simulations. “What brought about this change?” He found himself demanding, next to him, Armin raised an eyebrow in question, but otherwise remained quiet.

“Apparently, Hanji’s backed to a corner, sir. Tybur issued her only three days of preparation for the second wave.” Erwin silently swore at the information. He didn’t like it one bit. If the wave was scheduled too soon, the Marleyans would notice the trick. What’s more concerning is the sudden change of heart from Hanji. A strange ominous foreshadowing overcame him while pondering Moblit’s words. “Let’s discuss this more in detail when Armin and I arrive, but I will send a message to Eren as well to move to Trost and pass the investigation to the Garrison.”

“Yes, sir!” Moblit replied before Erwin ended the call.

“What’s all that about? You look like you swallowed something awful.” Armin noted the grim expression that crossed his face.

The sky visibly darkened some more, and only the single beaming headlight of the mini train motor lit their path through the wilderness. There weren’t that many predatory animals out in the open aside from the usual rack rabbits, foxes, or pack of jackals. To Erwin’s credit, most of the dangerous man-eaters were up north. If the cold climate doesn’t kill you, it’s the gigantic monsters that would. At any rate, he pocketed his phone and gave Armin a sad smile. ‘ _ Later’ _ he mouthed to the blond before he flicked his reins hard and the stallion sprinted ahead, leaving the rest of the soldiers dumbfounded at his sudden burst of speed.

*****

Eren woke to the sound of thunder that roared like a mighty beast outside his window. Half of his mind was still under the daze of sleep. It was the cold sweat and the wild thumping of his heart that slowly ebbed away from the grogginess he felt. Groaning, he jutted his hand out from the warm covers to fumble for the lamp’s switch, to shed a bit of light to alleviate his anxiety. Another loud rumble of thunder boomed from outside, and Eren had to clamp his mouth shut to fight off the whimper threatening to send him into a panic attack. He hated hearing the worst of the storm, just as much as he hated the feeling of being trapped in the dark. Memories of the damn cage rushed him, but he sat up and desperately tried to flick the switch on the lamp but no light came. A power outage,  _ just fucking great. _ He thought. Swearing, Eren shifted until his legs hung over the side of the bed, and reached for his phone half-charged on the bedside table. After his arrival, Ered dedicated yesterday to investigate anything unusual on the streets, but came back with nothing. The constant rain made sure that not many dared to leave their dry homes. Eren and the rest of the Garrison soldiers were left with the miserable task of trudging through rain and mud for anyone suspicious. 

If he didn't die from battle, he would get the flu from being out in the rain so much. He unplugged the charger and used the flashlight to give him even a minuscule sense of calm. The small light did little to slow down his harsh breathing, but he focused on it nonetheless.

Flashes of light came from the murky darkness, followed by thunder that rang so loud Eren swore he felt the walls shake against the sound. Instinctively, Eren slammed his palms to his ears and squeezed his eyes shut. His legs tuck closer to his body, making himself smaller and hoped the sounds would eventually stop.

_ “It’s just thunder, Brat. You’re shaking like a fucking leaf. _ ” Levi’s voice echoed in his head as he recalled the last time he was on the verge of a panic attack. They were trapped in the old darkroom. The door was locked shut because of the heavy gust of wind that came from the open window. It had all been just an instance before the situation brought to surface those cruel years of being locked up under the first king of Eldia’s reign. He would’ve blacked out from panic if not for Levi talking him through that night, and eventually distracting him with strange drinking stories from Marley.

There was no Levi to coax him out of his panicked state. “It’s just thunder,” he whispered more to himself, but couldn’t deny the way his entire body trembled, waiting for the next strike of the monstrous electricity from the sky. When none came, he slowly lowered his hands from his face, and opened his eyes. The wind howled. Outside, the glass panes of his window shook from the force. Briefly, he wondered how long before the storm fully passed the city? As sleep would definitely not come to him with how bad the weather was. Unlocking his phone, his eyes widened with how it had already been 7am. The gloom of the day made it impossible for anyone to tell the sun was hidden behind the brewing storm as it had been for weeks.

He got several messages from Armin, and Mikasa, and even a call from Erwin even though they’ve talked just the other day. Erwin took the fast bullet train to Shiganshina after meeting with the King. The man just knew no rest. Poor Armin had to keep up with him one way or another through Smith’s busy schedule. Deciding to call Erwin first, he dialed the number, and after just two rings, he heard his voice. “You’re out like a light, I called eight times since we’ve reached Trost.”

“Sorry, I guess I was too exhausted to check my phone. Why are you even back in Trost? I thought the testing was in Shiganshina.” By the look outside his window, Eren even wondered if such a test could even be conducted through such weather?

“We got some message from Hanji saying that the next wave is coming sooner than we thought. She wants us to test it before the simulation scheduled in three days from now.” Erwin explained, and Eren raised his eyebrows in surprise. Outside, the downpour drowned out the sound of distant thunder. No way was it possible to even leave the hotel, much less meet up with Erwin.

One day couldn’t hurt, right? “It’s raining like cats and dogs here Sir, the earliest I can get to Trost is tomorrow. You guys can get a test run done today?” 

“Yes, we’ll have a run today since Hanji’s been spamming Moblit’s emails since yesterday to try it as soon as possible,” Erwin confirmed with a light chuckle, and Eren couldn’t help but smile either. Typical for Hanji to be up and gearing to try out something new. None of them trusted that Djel person that she mentioned, and ensuring the safety of the entire LifeLine team. The whole deceit relied not just on Hanji’s deception, but the rest of the Survey Corp had to play the roles. “I’ll be the default avatar for Levi for now. There’s only a light drizzle here, by afternoon, we will run a test drive while staying in touch with Hanji. You better wait out the storm, Orvud is going to experience more downpour until later tonight.” 

“Terrific,” Eren said sarcastically, while the light from his lamp came back to life, and a little bit of hope flared within him with the power back on. “Just contact me again tonight then with how the testing went on.”

“Yes, sir.” Erwin retort mimicking Eren’s tone from earlier before hanging up. With the storm keeping Eren indoors, he tried to distract himself by logging back on Levi’s computer. To his surprise, Levi did update the draft, but the message sent chills down his spine.

**I know it’s you who got into my email Eren, but I really need you to tell me exactly what Erwin’s plans are, please. If you ever receive this and read it, delete it immediately. Log out, and whatever you do unplug the LifeLine program. It’s unsafe.**

Eren immediately reached to the keyboard to type in a reply, but he froze. The urgency in Levi’s message had been there since last night. The email contradicted itself, and it didn't sound like something Levi would write. Not unlike the first question, asking his identity. How did he know it's him writing the replies? He began to question if the person he really was talking to  _ is _ Levi.

**You’re not Levi. Who are you?**

A pause, but Eren’s other hand reached for his phone and tried to dial with his left hand. Armin’s name was the first on his list and pressed the button but most of his attention remained on Levi’s computer. When the call went unanswered, he feared the worst and immediately dialed Erwin’s number. He began to imagine something had gone terribly wrong. Until after the third ring, Erwin picked up and he finally was able to breathe properly. 

“Eren?” Erwin’s tone had clear confusion in it, and the sound of loud shouting at the background further calmed Eren. It reminded him of the busy mornings through training where he and his fellow cadets would do drills and the yell of orders from the sergeants would fill the air. “Odd for you to call back too soon after our conversation. Did something happen?”

The temptation to spill out about what bothered him since last night was at the tip of his tongue, but then it would reveal how he and Armin had hacked into Levi’s email. Not only would Eren be in so much trouble with Commander Eyebrows, but the King would also pull him out from the LifeLine project, and confiscate the laptop. He was already issued a warning by King Rowan during a heated argument on the first week after Levi was brought to Marley. 

_ “If you dare put your personal feelings above your duty Nephelim, I’ll have you sent back to the sanctuary where you are of more use to grieving families and the injured soldiers!” _ Eren had to bite back his words because of the King’s hard eyes that glared at him that evening in the throne room. King Rowan held his firm gaze and all but dared Eren to oppose his decision. If he disobeyed, it questioned Rowan’s right to rule. When the war fully set on Paradis. The soldiers were loyal to the king and his bloodline, but the people worshipped and glorified the Nephelim. “ _ Choose your battles Eren, neither of us want a civil war,” _ King Rowan reminded him, and Eren clenched his hands so hard, it didn’t surprise him that his nails dug enough to leave small red crescent marks on his palms. 

Eren accepted his mistake, but King Rowan made his message clear that evening. Either he followed the orders of his commanding officers and the King, or be dismissed from service. “I, um...just forgot to tell you that power is going on and off here because of the storm, I might not be able to contact you until I get to Trost tomorrow.”

On the other end of the phone, Erwin chuckled, oblivious to how Eren’s eyes darted between Levi’s draft and the ominous shapes of shadows from the skeletal branches of trees from the street. Eren did care for Eldia and his friends, but if he was to save Levi, he might really have to do it all on his own. 


	14. Who Are You?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Long time everyone! Welcome back to LifeLine! I know it has been a while since I’ve updated. I’ve actually been too busy to write even on my days off, but here we are! We’ve been out of the simulation game for a while, but don’t worry, the chapter is going to jump into the game again, and more. 
> 
> Also, due to the Covid19 virus, I’ll be working from home now, since the country I'm in is on lockdown. I know this isn’t related to LifeLine but just a friendly message to say the importance now of health, and that all of you guys should really be careful when going out and practice proper hygiene at all times. So this is a little chapter update to ease your day if you guys are stuck at home as I am. 
> 
> Lastly, comments and kudos are greatly appreciated. I'd like to hear from you guys. This chapter is actually unedited, so yeah, sorry about errors here and there. I'll see you guys in the big action-filled chapter next time! ^_^
> 
> -DanDeeLion

The new gear appeared more complicated than the first. Erwin stood next to Mike on the table. His eyes never left the set of laid out pieces before them. All around Erwin, soldiers were busy relaying orders and refueling the trucks for the supplies they'd bring back to the capital. Out in the open, Erwin managed to study the new equipment sent by Marley's ships. In total there were two dozen LifeLine gears delivered ‘supposedly’ to the ground troops of Marley. Through the past several months, Mike’s squad had kept the facade of managing the Marleyan base with the worn uniforms of the enemy soldiers. They kept one of the generals alive to ensure that reports were delivered but gave no suspicion to send more to trigger Tybur. It was a delicate dance of scheming and danger. Mike and his team monitored the Marleyan closely with every report. The General's remaining group of soldiers were detained in a makeshift prison at the old town hall of the seashore village by the eastern coast. Eren had told him it was the same hometown that Levi had supposedly come from. The village was abandoned after the battle that took place in another small settlement, ten miles from where they were. 

“That Marleyan General requests to send a message to his family,” Mike added. Ever since they’ve reached Trost, Mike changed into his standard scout’s uniform in favor of the Eldian Survey Corp’s crest on his breast pocket when entering the city. 

“It’s too risky.” Erwin pointed out quickly without even sparing Mike a glance. Prisoners of war were brought toward their regional prisons, but circumstances of the program proved otherwise. As far as the President of Marley was concerned, his generals and the troops of the Azure seaport town were all accounted for. However, another problem persisted. “We need to figure out how to deal with their message of being called back to the warships.” The enemy would notice if the general and his men didn’t return to Marley. Erwin had some of the scouts check if the other bases along the coastline were empty.

“I know that you would hate me to say this, but either you kill them, or the enemy would notice the trick.” Mike deadpanned. Along those words sparked an idea to Erwin, lifting his eyes to stare up to the ominous grey clouds that loomed over Trost. 

“Who’s watching the prisoners since you’re here with us?”

“I left a few of my men on the shore. With the storms brewing over the horizons, they’d be fine for a week at most. There’s no visibility between us and them.” 

Erwin crossed his arms and calculated the tight timeline Hanji has given them. While he has eyes and ears within Marley through his old friend, Hanji. She was practically begging him and Moblit to go into the game already. There was a limit to her desperation, and once Eren confirmed that Orvud took the worst of the storm clouds he’d seen yesterday. They’d no choice but to move forward with LifeLine without Eren for now. The new gear was more peculiar than the last that even Moblit had to examine it himself before any of the initial team got a chance to try them.

The helmet was snug-fit than the first design, and several thick wires connected it to a strange crescent device that Moblit explained to be the earpiece and communicator. Rico had to reconfigure it to work in a way Erwin and the rest of the scouts can communicate to each other through the game without providing feed to Hanji’s side. Tiny receptors stitched along the fabric on a pair of black gloves. “Hanji explained that these were supposed to be attached to the droids to strengthen the player’s body reflexes on the machine. What do you make of it?” Erwin passed the gloves to Mike, and the man gave it a sniff. His nose scrunched and gave the gloves back to Erwin as if it smelled more rotten than it appeared.

“It smells too much of disinfectants. How can you even stand it though?” Mike asked. He plopped down on the chair near the table while Erwin fitted the glove in his left hand. “Letting weird technology to simply control your body?” There was that tone of discomfort with Mike that Erwin tried not to comment on and gave a small shrug.

At first, Erwin was terrified. He had no control of his own arms and legs as Hanji tested it with Levi during the early weeks. The robot which represented Levi fumbled a bit to keep up with the fluid movements he knew that the Corporal could do physically. Erwin observed the metal body move with its gear. It had been awkward with jittery movements. Hanji and Colt knew by then the project would be slow on progress at its current rate. Which was why Eren proposed his plan to improve the system. “It's a risk, but if Hanji can make sure we won’t literally rip each other’s heads off. It might work.” Eren persisted while the rest of the cadets had gone white from the idea. It came down to Erwin having to test the gear first to assure that the others followed.

Erwin had known Hanji for most of his life. Having to attend the same high school as her, and living along the same streets. The brown-haired, eccentric scientist could be counted as one of his longest friends that he remained in contact with. “I trust Hanji,” Erwin simply answered, and though there was still doubt on Mike’s face. He clapped Mike's shoulder and took a sample of the gear. “Stay for a while. The weather isn’t fair across the kingdom. I need to find Moblit as well, so do inventory.”

“He’s at the gates with his own gear to look at.” Mike supplied and placed his hands on his hips while watching Erwin carrying the bundle of wires and metal in his arms make his way through the makeshift campgrounds of the Survey Corps. “Since when have I become your assistant!” He shouted back.

Moblit Berner, on the other hand, could rival Levi with how dark the circles under his eyes were since the new gear had arrived. The field research had his handsful ever since the number of scientists and mechanics dwindled down during the war. Rico was a good pair of extra hands, but much like Hanji, he had a stubborn streak about letting others do his work for him. Erwin found Moblit, hunched behind a metal table, in a drawn tent right outside of the city’s gates. Since none of them knew the situation of the gameplay for the simulation. They’d have to play it by the description of Hanji’s instructions. Moblit wore the same scout’s uniform when out in the field. Unlike the other scientists, Moblit had received the standard scout’s training because of his father’s persistence to increase his stamina and health. Though, no military training had been enough to bulk the man with muscles the way it did to Erd, Gunter, and even him.

“Any good news?” Erwin asked, and leaned against the side of the table making Moblit flinch, and dropped the same peculiar metal piece Erwin held earlier. 

Moblit removed his square-framed glasses and turned to Erwin. He gave the commander a small nod and picked up the earpiece. “I figured out how they work.” He said with a grin and fixed the crescent earpiece along the nape of his neck. “Hanji says the communicators also double as the neuron receptors that would command the body in accordance to the gestures of the player.”

Erwin observed as Moblit explained where every piece of the LifeLine gear went. From the padded gloves, helmet, and even the velcro straps that encircled his ankles. The get-up reminded Erwin of someone of a Survey scout with lessen harnesses through the entire body. Moblit gave him two thumbs up, and flexed his fingers experimentally, causing the receptors along the back of the hands to trace out under the thin fabric. “I’m all geared up, but with no player at the other end of the line. This thing won’t go on a test run.” Erwin chuckled as the scientist tried to mimic Hanji’s playfulness by doing random stretching exercises. 

The lack of rain outside the tent made it more ideal to test run the gear, especially with how half of the volunteers for the program were present in Trost. “Go tell Hanji then that Mikasa and I are going to do a trial run later in the afternoon. That way she could sync us with whoever are the players she chose on her end.”

Immediately, Moblit stood up straight and pulled the helmet out, causing his hair to plaster over his skull. “I’ll relay your message, but um...she seems rather persistent that Eren should be a part of the dry-run,” Moblit muttered and frowned. “She suspects that Levi is remembering a lot faster these days after that time he switched characters with you and Eren. Maybe he can finally start the operation soon-”

“Not yet,” Erwin countered and placed his own gear down right next to Moblit. In his pocket, the phone buzzed, but his mind was still too preoccupied with the flashes of memory of their last simulation to actually answer the call. 

He may have been badly numbed from the pain, but his eyes were wide open as Eren lashed out in his frenzies amongst the scouts. The fierce fire that burned in Eren’s eyes as he tore through soldiers after soldiers. While Hanji and Moblit could alter what Levi and the rest of the Marleyans saw during the carnage of the game. The screams of agony were all too real. Erwin’s orders to use stun guns and electric batons to replicate the heaviness of the swords they use in battle saved them countless times. It hurt like burning hell to be hit by the stun batons, but it’s been the only alternative than being sliced by one another. The Nephilim did apologize multiple times after the simulation to each and every soldier he stunned.

“I still doubt that Levi remembers everything,  _ especially _ his own reckless plan. If he did. We wouldn’t be seeing those Marleyan ships still in the waiting along the coastline.” Erwin countered while he slipped on the communicator piece behind his neck. The earpiece was cold to the touch and ran his index finger along the smooth surface. Unaccustomed to the brace along his nape. “Besides, with this storm, Eren won’t be reaching us until tomorrow. I’d rather not waste time waiting for him and go straight into the simulation once Hanji’s side is clear to go. She’s already backed to the corner at Marley, we need to put on a show so they won’t come knocking on our doorstep.”

Moblit yawned and tried to rub his eyes but smudges of grease rubbed across his face. Exhaustion barely described how the scientist felt, but even Erwin was more than willing to give more time to sleep for him and his squad. Much as Erwin wanted to lie and say his body was still in prime shape. He’s already in his mid-thirties, and the long horseback ride didn’t agree with his sore back and muscles. “Take a rest as well Moblit while we’re waiting for Hanji to gather her crew. I’ll send word to Mikasa and Nile to gear up.”

Even before Erwin finished speaking, Moblit managed to shut his eyes and sleep while standing. He sighed and guided the tired man towards the folded chair by the table to let him rest. Moblit might try to pretend he could go on the rest of the day with no rest for twenty-four, but he couldn't fool him. When he’d been promoted to the commanding position of the Survey Corps, he hadn’t expected that the extent of his work would lead to such a scale where the lives of every Eldians, even his soldiers, relied on his decisions. The pressure weighed too heavily on his shoulders that even the King sympathized with him. “A bit of luck you have, nephew because you’re not the one wearing the crown.”

Leaving the tent, most of the scouts had begun to swap the sword blades with stun guns and electric batons. The downcast skies didn’t damper any of the few soldiers from carrying out orders and driving the trucks full of evacuees to the safe zones underground. It's already a manageable routine with barely any hitches or flaws so far. Erwin kept repeating the procedures, but the huge lump of uneasiness never went down. He kept feeling that something would go entirely wrong.

*****

Orvud during the day remained cold, wet, and miserable that Eren bet that every single piece of clothing he owned had been drenched just thirty minutes into his walk through the city. He kept the hood of his cloak up and felt the harsh pelt of rain down his head and back leaving him no choice but to move between the sketchy sides of buildings to avoid most of the onslaught of the rain. On any other day, he’d hear the monotonous voice of Levi telling him off for being hard-headed and stubborn to be out in the rain for work when no one even dared to leave their homes.

He was stupid. But something had been nagging at him at how different Levi sounded through the thread of conversation last night. When he confronted him with the question, the conversation ended. In fact, that morning, Eren knew he fucked up badly because the password to Levi’s email had changed. He was ultimately shut out from contact. Eren barely realized that he made it to the city’s public park. Distracted, Eren barely had time to dodged the tree branch that fell above him as the strong force of the wind hit with enough force that some of the planted trees along the green fields swayed against the storm. Sighing, Eren clicked the small earpiece against his left ear and tried to radio Dirk and some of the other Garrison soldiers. Dirk had informed him that getting the citizens safely out through the trains was the main objective for today, and he had sent other soldiers to drive through the other districts of Orvud to assist families through the storm.

“This is Yeager speaking. I can’t see anything through this downpour. I’m heading back to the meeting point in 30 minutes.” He reported and waited for a beat through the static noise of the earpiece.

“Moses speaking, Garrison squad leader of the eighteenth’s division. Zero visibility over at the south district, but en route back to the meeting point with eight more evacuees.” A gruff voice said over the static followed by another soldier.

Eren ignored the chain of commands being spoken through the earpiece and trudged toward the other side of the park. Rainwater collected along the rim of the goggles over his eyes. It's gotten even harder to see through the mist and rain. A part of him wished that he should’ve just regrouped with Erwin in Trost, but Dirk had informed him that any cars available to take him to Trost. 

“Most of the vehicles are being used for evacs, I’m sorry Yeager, but you’re stuck here until the cars return to the train station.” Dirk apologized, but Eren didn’t feel like moving yet, even though he’s chilled to the bone by the storm. It got to the point that Eren stopped avoiding the puddles through the park. Halfway through the park, Eren paused as he noticed a quick blur of movement through the peripheral. 

Eren tried to wipe the rain from his goggles and made a full turn to assess his position. Aside from the few outlines of lamp posts and trees. Visually, he was the only other living soul in the area, Eren refrained from calling out, and one of his hands rested along the hilt of the dagger on his belt. Taking cautious steps back, Eren tried to strain his ears to any small sound, but the storm worked against him, along with the continuous feed of responses through the earpiece.  _ Breathe _ , Eren reminded himself as he centered his focus on whatever he saw. “Yeager here,” He whispered and took a couple more steps back until his boots hit the grass, not wanting to be a sitting duck on the dirt path. “Did Garrison send for back-up here in the east district?”

All responses from the earpiece paused until Dirk spoke out. “No other soldiers are near your area, Yeager.”

The low hissing sound that Eren quickly identified as the wiring of the maneuver gear recoiling back into the gear. Eren cursed as he turned his head to the left where the sound came from and saw a tall shadowy figure coming toward him. One of the maneuver gear’s hooks struck the softened earth and Eren ran toward it and swung the dagger through the wire. Without looking back, Eren sprinted through the park, hoping that whoever was trailing him stumbled after the line was severed. Having no other weapons by a measle dagger, Eren had to make it back to the hotel. The wind howled around him that even his hood fell back but his steps didn’t falter while running through the deserted city. As he rounded down the block, a pair of arms made a grab at him, but Eren ducked and narrowly missed being manhandled. The same attacker lunged at Eren again but Eren grabbed onto the thickly muscled arm and pinned the huge man to the ground. As the man yelled, Eren froze as he noticed the sigil of the Garrison on the back of the man.

Shocked, Eren nearly loosens his grip on the man but placed in more pressure as he continued to struggle under him. “Who are you?” Eren asked, and held the soldier’s arm at a dangerous angle that if he added any more pressure, he could break a bone. The man only swore hard at him, but Eren couldn’t recognize him under the strange helmet that hid his face. A strange metal disk was also latched and hidden under the man’s collar. Transfixed, Eren pulled the collar down and revealed a strange half-disk device that seemed to puncture into the man’s nape. “What the heck,”

He stiffened as the sound of more footsteps rushing toward him. Eren glanced at the man, as he gritted his teeth but spoke no word. Frustrated, Eren quickly pinned the man with his knee and placed both hands on the man’s head. Before the man had purchased to lift himself up, Eren twisted his head to the side and knocked him unconscious. He noticed a fire escape ladder at the side of one of the apartment buildings and raced for it to get to higher ground. Hoping that the downpour would conceal him as he climbed his way up, Eren managed to hoist himself up the top of the building just as the approaching soldiers reached the man he knocked out. Breathing hard, Eren dropped down flat to his front and crawled toward the edge. 

The rain began to slow down to a light drizzle, and Eren counted a total of four other Garrison soldiers, their hoods drawn up like his, staring directly at the unconscious man. One of them, with a smaller stature, nudged the man with a boot but none of them spoke. From the way they stood, Eren recalled the short conversation he had with Rico after the first wave simulation.

Eren had just plopped down at the mess hall with the rest of his squad and pestered Rico about the details since none of them knew what they’d looked like because the simulation messed up the reality they saw. Rico only shrugged and shoved spoonful after spoonful of soup into her mouth. “All I can say is that, from outside, all of you looked like a bunch of dazed puppets. If the player doesn’t move you all just stand still...it's disturbing.”

Before he realized it, Eren’s hands were shaking, but not because of how cold he felt for being drenched in the rain. The horror sunk in that the Garrison soldiers were acting like an avatar in LifeLine. Even if there was a simulation, why were they hell-bent on catching him? Who was playing the game?

*****

“Is everyone in position?” Erwin asked through the communicator around the back of his neck. Most of the soldiers already placed themselves in scattered groups through the city, and while Erwin mentally ticked off the names of the scouts that would double as the avatars for the game, his uneasy feeling never settled as the clock ticked closer to the start of the game. Hanji’s immediate reply to Moblit only hastened the scouts to test the gear before the second wave. 

Erwin held the helmet of the LifeLine gear on the crook of his arm while Mikasa stood by him on the wall of Trost as the cool afternoon breeze fluttered her crimson scarf like a waving flag. Similar to Levi, the young soldier spoke very little but had a huge protective streak to Eren Yeager. As it stands, Mikasa was also part of the program and was an avatar to the Marleyan soldier she trained with, Reiner Braun. “The others should be up on the elevator right now heading to a position.” She reported, while her eyes trailed on the small jeep that drove toward the city hall where Moblit was going to monitor the entire simulation.

“This will just be a quick trip in the simulation after this one Eren will join us for the second wave.” Erwin supplied, causing Mikasa to turn her full attention to him. Mikasa tried to hide her worry for Yeager but Erwin had noticed the way Mikasa stiffened and set his lips into a thin frown. Even during the time that Levi and Eren began to grow close, Mikasa had shown open hostility toward the other Ackerman. He had questioned both if they knew each other or were related, to which Mikasa had confirmed that she knew of a very volatile uncle, a brother of her father that went by the name of Kenny Ackerman. Though she barely heard from the said uncle and of another relative, Kuchle Ackerman since her parents had both died during a car crash where only she survived at nine years old. 

She pulled the scarf over her lips and hunched her shoulders up to bunch the fabric closer to her face even though it wasn’t too cold up on the walls. “Let’s get to the simulation then.” Just as she spoke, Erwin noticed Nile and Jean heading towards them from the open doors of the guard post. Erwin walked over to Nile who was already fully decked in gear, the only reason Erwin was able to distinguish the other commander was from the emblem of the Military Police on his breast pocket. 

“This thing is rather stuffy than the first gear,” Nile commented while shaking Erwin’s hand. 

Jean came over to talk with Mikasa, while they waited for the last scout to get into position as per Hanji’s orders. “At least it's a bit more suited for mobility than the last one,” Erwin admitted, to which Nile grunted in agreement.

“Is Levi even close to his plan yet? With the King busy with his people, playing this game is dividing our numbers, Smith.” Nile pointed out and crossed his arms. From his phone, Erwin felt his phone buzzed again and pulled it out. Surprised to find Eren calling his number, again.

He’d been polite not to question why the Nephelim sounded anxious last night, and the other never really was into calling people by rather stuck to messaging, the odd behavior only added to his own worries that something wasn’t right. “Excuse me,” Erwin mumbled to Nile and stepped a bit farther from the rest of the scouts to hear what Eren had to say. From his receiver, Moblit already began to brief the avatars on how the simulation would undergo. Likewise, he pushed the helmet of the gear over his head and strapped it on, before answering the call.

“Smith, speaking.”

Eren’s loud breathing filled his ear, as it became abundantly clear that Eren was on the move, and running fast as he spoke to Erwin. “Stop the simulation,” Eren said between harsh breaths, and Erwin yanked the helmet off his face and pulled the phone closer to his ear. 

“Eren, slow down.” He began, as the clashing sound of rain and banging noises of obvious gunshots came from Eren’s side of the phone. “Who’s tailing you?” He demanded, while Mikasa and the others finally turned to him at the sound of his rising tone.

“Fuck, Erwin, did you not hear what I said? Stop the simulation, something’s wrong.” Eren spat urgently. Erwin was about to ask back but stopped the moment he saw Jean rushing toward him with the taser baton. Erwin immediately dropped the phone and grasped at Jean’s arms and swiped kicked Jean’s legs to pin him to the ground. 

“Kirstein, what’s gotten into you?” Erwin pressed one arm at Jean’s neck nearly cutting off air going into his lungs. Around him, Nile and Mikasa wanted to pull the two of them apart, but Jean continued to struggle against Erwin’s heavyweight and barely even made a sound. Eren’s warning still rang in his ear while he spoke to Moblit directly through the communicator. “Moblit, something’s not right. Don’t start the program!”

“Sir, I’m trying to already shut it down, Jean’s gear activated on its own,” Moblit said back, while beside him, Mikasa groaned, and faltered in her steps. Jean eventually dropped the baton and passed out from the lack of air to his body. 

Sensing the urgency in the situation, Erwin immediately began to pull the receptors of the gloves and unstrap the velcros on his legs. “Nile, Mikasa, take all of your gear off now.” He barked, but both of the soldiers only stood stiffly beside him and he immediately tensed as a cruel laugh came out from Mikasa’s lips. 

“Take off the earpiece Sir, now!” Moblit shouted, but Erwin didn’t have to be told twice and pulled the crescent device off his neck and tossed it out and away from him, letting the device hurl through the air and outside the city’s walls.

“I should’ve started the transmission through the gear a few minutes earlier Commander Smith, your device was just seconds away from being activated. Too bad the signal up here is just weaker, especially since the gear is deep in enemy territory.” Mikasa said, her voice betraying no emotions as if it was being read off a script, and robotic in all sense.

Erwin held both taser batons in his hands and held them towards the two soldiers that tried to circle around him. One thing was clear in his head that even Eren had figured out before him. The program was completely compromised. “Who are you?” Erwin snared toward Mikasa before chaos erupted in the city of Trost.


	15. The 2nd Wave Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How’s it going everyone! Welcome back to LifeLine. I won’t keep you guys for too long, the game is going to get a lot more intense from this point onward. It’s also week three now into Quarantine where I’m at. I hope wherever you readers are, everyone is safe and healthy. Also, this chapter is unedited, so sorry for any typos and grammatical errors. That said, enjoy the chapter!
> 
> Ah, music for this chapter is ‘At The Wall’ by Two Steps from Hell. Please leave a comment, kudos, or Subscribe to the story. Enjoy!

Dirk Egner never thought he’d face pain ten times worse than taking a knife to the gut during one riot fight he had to break off during his early years of being a Garrison soldier. Since he saw one of his men, Moses, returned to the underground subway meeting point with a bloody stump left of his right arm, he knew that the enemy had somehow breached Orvud. Moses had been part of the Survey Corps regiment for only five years before he had been assigned to the Garrison after the birth of his first daughter. As the number of the Garrison’s reserve forces were stretched to the huge military operation under King Rowan, Moses was one of them. 

The man’s face became ashen from the blood loss, and most of the other cadets scrambled to help him to a gurney by the end of the last train cart to the capital. Several of the citizens tried to peer through the windows of the train cart to get a better view of the situation, while a pair of the Garrison’s medical staff rushed to stabilize the man in pain. Moses’s dark eyes dilated like a hunted animal, and it took Dirk and another soldier to keep him pinned to the gurney while the medic shot him with something to numb his body. “Great, Sina, what happened to you?” Dirk grabbed one of the clean rags from the emergency kits of the medics and pressed it firmly at the open wound left by the torn limb. 

One of the medics, grimaced as she fastened a torque around Moses’ upper leg. “Don’t trust, no one can stop them.” Moses kept repeating repeatedly that Dirk could not make heads or tails of what the man meant. Behind him, the passengers from the last train cart whispered amongst themselves and tried to get a better look at the situation. 

His gaze focused on Moses, he yelled. “Fetch the conductor, and have two soldiers investigate what’s happening above ground but take a different exit. Don’t draw any unwanted attention from leaving through the main gates.” From the corner of his vision, he caught half of his squadron moving to follow his command, while the white coat medics settled beside him. A red-haired young girl with her short hair tucked in back behind a bandana. 

The girl might be around that newcomer, Yeager’s age if not only a couple of years older. “Step aside sir, we’ll handle it from here.” Moses continued to trash under the restraints as two of the medics lifted the gurney up. “He needs to be in a proper hospital, or else he’ll die.”

Dirk slowly stood up while the remaining members of his squad cleared a path for the medics to Moses into the train. If the city was compromised, Moses would never make it to Orvud Medical Center in one piece. “The train needs to leave now.”

“We still have soldiers out there.” Dirk’s second commanding officer reminded, and Dirk clenched his hands into fists. Years ago, Pixies told him that he would face moments where his decisions would be split between his values and the greater good for humanity. 

“Our orders from the King is to keep his people safe.” Dirk spat back before he saw the conductor rushing toward them.

The train conductor, an elderly man with sparse white hair poking out from his navy blue hat rushed toward them and nearly stumbled back at the small pool of blood that gushed from the wound and staining the red-stoned floor. “How long before the train departs?”

Confused, the conductor glanced at the unease within the train and pulled out a small handheld transceiver. Besides Dirk, his second-in-command leaned closer to his ear. “Yeager is also our priority sir, Commander Erwin expects him at Trost.”

“One problem at a time, I’ll ask from our soldiers in Trost if the situation is just as bad as here. We need to regroup, pinpoint Moses’ attackers and-” From his pocket, Dirk’s phone vibrated. Both men paused as he pulled his phone out and found an unknown number calling him. Uncertain, Dirk’s officer shook his head, while he answered the call. “_ The roses on the walls have thorns. _”

“_ Wings take flight and search for freedom beyond its home _.” A familiar voice answered back, and Dirk relaxed as he recognized Yeager’s voice from the answer. “Captain, are you and your men alright?” Eren added while the train conductor stood beside him.

“Yes, currently we are boarding the last train to Sina when Moses, one of my men came down here with his leg hacked off. What’s the status above ground?”

“I’ve spotted at least a dozen Garrison and Survey Corp soldiers have gone rogue.” 

Dirk froze and nearly didn’t believe Yeager until he realized the nature of how Moses’s leg was torn off. It wasn’t mauled by any animal, The clean cuts were familiar, slashes that could only come from the steel swords issued for the King’s military forces. “How did it happen?” He demanded and motioned for his officer to step closer as he placed the call on speakerphone.

“I’m not entirely sure of where it began sir, but I was followed all morning by rogue soldiers...they aren’t normal, sir. They don’t speak, but they move without hesitation.”

“Have you harmed them?” Dirk further probe, the thought of fellow soldiers fighting each other meant that a possible rebellion against the King was stirring.

“No, sir, I’ve been keeping my head down since I’ve noticed the disturbance.” As a proven point, Dirk heard the sound of yells and footfalls of several men from Eren’s line on the phone. Dirk and his officer exchanged a silent discussion before his officer nodded and pulled the train conductor with him.

“I’ll make sure all evacuees have safely left Orvud and write a report to the King.” 

“Yeager, we need to secure the city and ensure no rogues escape to the other cities. I am sorry, but my men can’t assure you a safe trip to Trost.” Dirk walked back toward the framed map of the tunnel system of Orvud near the ticketing counter while the rest of his soldiers stood at attention, awaiting his commands. “Do you think you can get out of the city in one piece, without killing anyone?”

There was a beat of pause before he heard a short laugh from Yeager. “I don’t have my sword, captain, killing won’t be my option either way. I can help you, by drawing these rogues away from the meeting grounds so your men can head up the surface.”

Dirk sighed but found himself smiling at the confidence of the young soldier. “Alright Yeager, do your worse.” He turned back to the train conductor and yelled. “Move this big ass train out now before we bomb the tracks leaving the city!”

The conductor paled and rushed toward the engine room, while the rest of the soldiers gawked at the orders issued to them. Dirk lifted a brow and rolled his eyes. “Have you all gone deaf?” He inquired and broadened his grin. “We have to secure this city and capture a bunch of hooligans. Once the train leaves and Yeager draws the rogues out in the open, we strike.” Dirk placed a clenched fist to his chest and yelled. “For the Eldian empire!”

Two dozen soldiers hardened their gazes and saluted back to Dirk. “For Freedom!”

At the other end of the line, Eren huffed a short laugh before hanging up the phone. He sat under the counter of the hotel’s bar, while a few more rogue soldiers ran down the stairs and herded the government officials from the upper floors. “Where are you taking us?!” The city’s governor demanded, and the sounds of struggle before the governor groaned in pain as he was repeatedly punched and shoved out the door. Eren followed their movements through the reflection of the display case in front of him but kept one hand on his gear’s handgrip.

The unnatural stiffness of the rogue soldiers and the strange helmet on their heads were the only indicators Eren had to go by since he was nearly ambushed in the park. The rogue soldiers holding the governor paused in front of the doorway of the bar. He held his breath as the rest of the soldiers went out leaving only one to step further in the bar. _ Stay calm _. An ancient part within him began to resurface that Eren felt his heart slowed to a steady beat. All his senses became sharper, that every footfall and the uneven breaths of the soldier reached Eren as if he stood just beside him. Tucking his feet closer to his body and hunched low, Eren watched carefully from the stained glass bottles as the soldier stepped closer toward the long oak bar.

Everything was simple, it would just be one lone soldier, and even if the rest of the rogues were to rush back, Eren could overpower them with his own two blades. _ Yes, they don’t know what’s coming to them once you strike. _ All in an instance, Eren froze as the blood began to pound against his ears. It has been a long time since he heard that voice. He felt it’s dark eyes staring right at him from the darkest corner of the bar. He didn’t even have to turn toward the ghostly figure that watched him with fixed fascination, The soldier’s steps were so close, Eren could practically feel the man towering just on the other side of the bar. Just one more step, if the soldier would lean over, Eren’s waiting blade would taste blood. _ Kill him, _ the monster from the shadow taunted, but Eren kept his grip steady on the hilt. 

_ What are you waiting for? KILL HIM! _ He shut his eyes and drowned out the harsh command. After a few excruciating seconds, the soldier quickly departed the bar and Eren slumped back against the hardwood cabinet. He didn’t realize how badly his hands were shaking until he loosens his hold on the handgrips. The voice in his head ceased as well, but it left him drained at the thought of losing control of his own mind completely. Eren curled inward on himself and rested his forehead on top of his knees as he calmed his racing heart.

He swore before his old home he wouldn’t be killing another human anymore, and he nearly took another person’s life. “_ Don’t spiral into your head, Yeager. _ ” Eren could hear the firm command of his corporal. The Raven’s steely eyes were full of warmth and concern as he knelt before him, centering him back to reality. Eventually, a smile lifted on Levi’s face as he began to calm down. Long slim fingers ran through Eren’s hair and gently patted his head. “ _ There you are, brat.” _

Eren tucked his head to his arms and gritted his teeth as the ache in his chest began to be too much. He felt numbed when the Marleyans took Levi away, and he persistently avoided thinking about anything remotely close to those tender moments where Levi would be guiding him through his mental attacks. He soldiered through them on his own for decades, but the longing he felt at the moment was too intense. “I miss you,” Eren whispered under his breath as hot tears finally dropped freely down his face. It had all come back to before. Eren was once again, truly alone.

Time stretched longer in the dark bar, and Eren hadn’t realized he had fallen asleep until his body fell heavily on his left side. Jolting awake, Eren’s eyes adjusted to the darkness of the hotel’s lounge. He shakily got up on his feet and made his way over towards one of the round tables where he hid his backpack. All he could hope for was that Dirk and his men were alright and can handle the mess within the city. The LifeLine gear that the rogues were wearing troubled him so much, and it even amplified the minute that Erwin’s call was cut by the commotion he couldn’t tell. 

Checking his phone, it was past eight in the evening. If Moblit’s assumption on the LifeLine program’s function, the gear needed a long rest time so that the system back in Marley could reconnect with the frequency on the island. Eren hoisted his bag on his back and raced up the stairs. There’s no point anymore to walk down the streets. He pulled the soggy hood of his cloak over his head and reached the door that led to the rooftop of the hotel. The cool night air brushed Eren’s face, but he nearly coughed badly at the thick smoke that blew from below. Eren crept his way toward the edge of the building and felt his heart drop to his stomach. 

A thick layer of smoke covered the entire city of Orvud. Patches of fiery red buildings were found scattered in different locations, it would take all night to put out the fires. If there was only a beacon of hope left for the ravaged city, it was that Dirk and his men had managed to evacuate the citizens before the strange attacks even commenced. Then, it dawned on him, that maybe that was Dirk’s plan all along. The captain could not lend his troops to escort him out of the city. But with the cloudy night, and the suffocating smoke. Eren could reach the walls without touching the ground. His phone vibrated, and Eren pulled it out to read a short text from the Garrison captain before a grin spread across his face. 

_ “You got thirty minutes to leave the city. Use it well Nephelim.” _ Eren usually would’ve panicked whenever someone called him by his angel blood. But the hopes of Dirk and his soldiers were riding on him. 

“I’ll come back.” He swore before leaping over the edge of the building, the weightlessness of the drop was all too familiar and still just as exhilarating. Eren twists in the air and fires the grappling hooks from his vertical maneuver gear toward the neighboring residential apartment building. The clawed hook sank through the bricks before Eren allowed himself to be tugged forward and flung through the air like a thrown rock from a sling. His only focus remained on shortening the distance toward the outer walls that connected the entire region of RoseThe spiral towers of Orvud’s universities blurred past him as he fell into a familiar pattern of movement through the air. Aim the hook, Sling forward through the taunt wires, tuck into a brief landing a rooftop, and repeat. He kept his eyes forward even as he heard the distinctive sound of guns going off or an explosion that brightened the darkness of the smoke. 

Once the marble stone walls of Rose came into his view, Eren knew that just a few more inches, he could’ve punctured the wall and scale up to the safety of the towers since Orvud had long ago destroyed the watchtowers after the Fritz sky tower at the east district became not just a tourist spot but the Garrison’s overall watchtower in the city for aerial threats. The hook stabbed through the white marble and created a fist-sized hole but snug enough that Eren’s line wouldn’t be pulled out. He was so focused on the wall that he failed to notice a dark shadow headed toward him, until he was hit sideways, and slammed against wall Rose. 

The air was knocked out of his lungs, as he and the rogue soldier with the pitch-black helmet on his head grappled for a better hold on each other. Eren tried to dig the heels of his boots along the wall, but the soldier tried to push and pull their bodies side to side against the wall. High above, Eren’s wire strained under the weight to two full-grown men. If he didn’t act soon, they’d fall a good twenty feet to the ground. Eren tried to pry the soldier away from his body, but the man pressed his arm against Eren’s neck with so much force that Eren could barely get any air down his windpipe. 

Frustration and anger boiled through him as he inched one of his hands down toward his belt and placed his hand by his side while his fingertips grazed along the polished hilt hidden within his boot. The soldier added more pressure that Eren was sure the man would crush his vocal cords if any more was added. Gritting his teeth, Eren muttered a silent apology before he plunged the bronze dagger directly on the soldier’s chest. The faceless soldier went completely still, and Eren turned away, repeating to himself that his life was in danger if he didn’t end it soon.

_ “ _To dust, you shall return,” Eren whispered softly next to the soldier’s head and yanked the blade free. The deadweight plummeted to the ground but Eren watched as the body self combust as the dagger’s effect burned the body from the inside out. He sighed and craned his head back toward the long way up he still had to go to reach Erwin and his friends. With a heavy heart, Eren fled yet another city to burn to the ground helplessly into the night.

Trost had been a special place for Eren. Most of his memories with Levi happened within the bustling city. He had been lucky that one of the solar motorcycles that the Garrison soldiers used to go through the length of the walls was parked near the old watchtower. The ingenious motorbikes had clear glass sheets that covered the wheels which converted sunlight to energy. He hated to admit that aside from getting up on the wall, Eren had no plan to reach Trost, a whole forty kilometers away if he hadn’t spotted the motorbikes. 

By the time he’d reached the first watchtower of Trost, Eren parked the motorbike and sat down on the dusty ground. He couldn’t push his body to move any farther without sleep. Through a straight three hour race to Trost. Eren nearly stumbled down the hard way off the wall if he didn’t catch himself from stepping down the bike. From his pack, Eren was lucky that before leaving the hotel, he managed to roll up one of the blankets in his room and tied it into a roll as a makeshift pillow. Sleeping on the ground had been nothing new to him. He already had a list of the most unpleasant places to rest, but the top of Wall Rose isn’t one of them. 

He didn’t even bother to check his phone, because it's nearly drained. Then, there’s his other worry that Erwin and the rest of the Survey Corps had been captured by those rogues. Shaking his head, Eren lied down on the cold floor, the city of Trost was dark that night, and eerily quiet, but Eren trailed his gaze toward the galaxy that stretched across the evening horizon. For a moment, he could forget that his boyfriend was being held captive in Marley with amnesia. He could forget that Eldia struggled to win a war with a country that was hell-bent on war. Eren rarely felt at peace, but with the open night sky above him, and to the silence of his surroundings, he fell asleep, feeling safe under the millions of lights above him.

The sound of footsteps thumped against Eren’s ear that was pressed to the sound when he turned over to sleep at his side. It jerked him awake and immediately drew one of his swords out. On instincts, he swung it at the general direction of where he heard the approaching steps and swords clashed. Still teetering between sleep and alertness, Eren sat up and glared at whoever it was that found him until he recognized the person towering over him. “Fuck,” Eren breathed before he slumped back down and relaxed. “Hannes, if I were anymore half awake, I would’ve sliced you in half without much thought of it.”

The older soldier stepped back as Eren regained his composure and sat up with his legs crossed closer to him while Hannes settled next to him. His cloak had a splatter of blood and mud, and a mixture of relief and sadness was on his face. Eren didn’t need to ask if something bad had happened in Trost, it was clear as day to the man he’d seen for years. “Funny how I found you here, sleeping like a homeless guy while half of the scouts had gone insane.” Hannes laughed bitterly and Eren realized just how high the sun was in the sky. Levi once teased how much of a deep sleeper he was whenever they slept out in the open, with only their sleeping bags and under the shade of trees on their camping trips. The stone still felt partially cold, so it wouldn’t have been that long since the sun had risen. 

“How did you find me up here Hannes?” Eren asked when his stomach grumbled loudly that he blushed at how Hannes laughed and slung his own small pack between them. 

Hannes pulled out two packets of the brick-sized nutrition bars that the scouts brought with them during long excursions. The brown, square cakes had oats and berries marked along with its outer lump, but Eren was thankful for the food. He hadn’t eaten anything since lunch yesterday, and all the adrenaline that kept him going had run dry. “We don’t have much time, but I’ll brief you with the situation before I try to find more survivors,” Hannes said after swallowing a huge bite out of the Nutri-bar. Eren listened to Hannes while chewing the dry food. He could’ve asked for water, but the flask that Hannes passed to him smelled suspiciously of spirit. Eren’s nose scrunched at the strong scent but drank it nonetheless knowing it’ll be another while before he’d find actual food and water in Trost.

Around the same time that Eren called Erwin yesterday, some of Hannes’ men reported to him of rogue soldier activity at the said site where the simulation was planned. “By the time I rushed over to help, Erwin had a nasty fall from one of the outpost tents as Nile slashed through his wires from the top of these walls. He’s alive but had several broken ribs from the fall. My men tried to detain Nile, but then Jean and Mikasa went crazy as well and started hacking away at the soldiers.” Eren felt like he wanted to punch something, at the same time throw up the miserable excuse for food he’d been trying to stomach.

It was harder for him to believe that Mikasa and Jean went rogue but even painful to imagine that if he ever crossed paths with them in Trost, he would be turning the lethal end of the swords at them. “It’s the gear,” Eren muttered, and Hannes could only nod, before crumpling the brown parchment paper wrapping of his Nutri-bar and tossed it behind him. “How many had worn the gear, and who?”

“A dozen of them, but Erwin and Moblit managed to not wear the gear entirely which is why they’re back at the safe house near the multi-purpose center of Trost. We’ve managed to detain two of the affected soldiers, but Mikasa is the most dangerous threat, and-” Hannes paused and glanced at Eren apologetically. “Hanji made a request through Moblit that Erwin’s squad should participate during the testing.”

“They’re affected too, huh.” Eren summarized, and Hannes took a longer swig of his alcohol while Eren fully accepted the gravity of the situation. “How many LifeLine gears did Commander Erwin receive from the port?” Eren crumpled his own Nutri-bar wrapped and began to fix his stuff back into his bag. Hannes stretched and gazed down on the quiet city with his hands on his hips.

“I’m only a soldier of these gates Eren, I don’t know a thing about the Survey Corp’s activities. Most of the soldiers manning these towers had sealed the doors shut with a double lock, so those rogues would have to climb the walls if they wished to ambush my men here.” Hannes explained and then turned away from Eren. The older man didn’t have those rosy red cheeks that indicated his intoxication even though he and Eren drained his flask by half. Hannes was sharp and alert. He needed all the help he could get to save his friends and get to Erwin to know the real problem. “Do you think you can give me a way to the safehouse Erwin and Moblit are?”

For once, since they’ve met on the wall, Hannes grinned and pulled out a worn piece of folded paper from the inside pocket of his jacket. “I can do better, I can get you there without you wasting away your dull blades.” Eren examined the smudge of blood from the hilt of his dagger and pulled it out of its sheath from the boot.

Overnight, the blood dried along the length of the two and a half-inch weapon, the bronze glint along the center of the blade, but Eren sighed and made a mental note to properly clean the dagger once he found a safer place to crash. “We better not be flying around too much though,” Eren tapped the gas canisters on top of his metal case full of spare sword blades. 

Hannes unfolded the map, being the old-school kind of guy who uses a smartphone’s GPS like Eren, he showed Eren the layout of the city as he stretched the map along the side of the watchtower. “We need to get to the west side of the wall closest to the city’s business district.” Hannes made a crossed mark along the west side of Trost’s wall, and then made a small circle along with one of the buildings within the northern district of Trost. It was closer to the exit of the city that led to the farmlands outside of Rose and toward the roads of Sina. “The multi-purpose center is just a few blocks away from the national road that leads to the checkpoint for the farmlands.”

“If we are all the way here along the southern side of the city, we need to backtrack all the way to the west side,” Eren mumbled, as he traced his finger along the path and tried to estimate the time but Hannes shook his head.

“We’re not that far off from the business district at this point. The only hurdle we have is that we have no idea where Mikasa and the other rogues lie in the waiting.” Eren crossed his arms and stared out at the layout of Trost. This was familiar territory, and suddenly the idea formed in his head as he nudged a loose pebble from the edge of the wall to fall to the ground. “Hannes, if we’re dealing with Marleyans here, they couldn’t possibly have any knowledge of these streets, don’t they?”

Hannes placed one hand under his chin and pondered the question before his eyes grew wide and realization lit his eyes with hope. “They don’t, they’re not Eldians.”

“This is our home,” Eren concluded, and with Hannes by his side, all he could hope for that the Trost he had visited months back hadn’t changed too much in the given period. “Let’s take these foreigners on a tour.” 

It didn’t surprise Eren that the first person that he’d faced just twenty minutes since he began flying through the streets of Trost was Jean. The number of wounded police officers and dead scouts lay in heaps along with the small encampment that Erwin had set-up along the southern exit of the city. He saw the figure of his horse-faced friend from the reflection of the towering skyscrapers. All around Eren, he had a good 360-degree view of his surroundings. Hannes had a good point of entering the city through the Business District. Trost could rival Chicago’s corporate sector when it came to its architecture, Trost glimmered in the millions of shimmering glass buildings even from miles during the day. It made Eren vulnerable, but it also drew the rogues to him like a bird to be shot down by hunters. He unlatched one of the hooks of the maneuver gear and flung himself forward through the propulsion of the gas. 

Jean’s shadow loomed above him, and from his side, one of Jean’s wires zipped past to hit the corner of an unfinished constructed building. If Jean tugged on the wire, he would tackle Eren. “You gotta do better than that Marleyan!” Eren yelled over his shoulder and just as gravity began to pull him toward the asphalt, The building directly before him had a dome stained glass rooftop. Its white marble facade could rival Wall Rose, with a pair of roaring lion statues before its large oaken doors. It was a building that Eren was all too familiar with. 

The sun glinted off in multi-colors from the glass painting of the three sisters, Maria, Rose, and Sina. Daughters of King Edmund Fritz, founder of the walls. The smiling faces of the three women appeared relieved from high above, and Eren almost felt sorry as he crashed straight through the face of Rose in the middle. Jean was close at his tail, but unlike the Marleyan, Eren knew the building’s secrets like the back of his hand. A thousand pieces of broken glass rained all around him. Eren tucked into a roll to avoid most of the fall’s impact, and as he hit the ground, he heard the indistinct sound of another round of shattered glass. 

Without a second thought, Eren ran out of the great courthouse’s circular lobby and raced through one of the dozen arches leading to the private trial rooms. “Are you in position?” Eren breathed as he sprinted down the empty halls, he was so sure that Jean wasn’t alone. The echoes of a dozen footfalls filled the halls. 

“We’re ready.” Hannes hissed, and Eren kept glancing at the bronze knockers on the doors to his left until he spotted the familiar copper knocker just five doors away from the end of the corridor. He slowed down and shoved the door with all of his weight behind it until it shuddered open. The room was just as dark as he remembered all those years ago. He bit the inside of his cheeks to keep from whimpering as the smell of mildew and incense filled the air. Carefully, Eren pressed himself against the wall closest to the door and held his breath. In just a few heartbeats, Jean and a few more soldiers in LifeLine gear entered the room until Eren could make out their rough outlines head straight to the center.

Eren’s right hand felt along the walls until he found the switch. “Now,” he whispers, before startling yelps and loud thuds came from the soldiers before him. Eren flicked the switch, and the ghoulish green lights that he despised filled the corners of the room and the fake flooring gave way. More than eight soldiers tried to climb out from the deep square trap below, but the metal bars from above slammed down on them. Trapping Jean and the soldiers entirely.

Hannes and his men quickly flooded into the room, just as Eren’s knees gave out and he slid to the floor. Jean and the other soldiers tried in vain to rattle the bars lose, but he knew first hand it was useless. A series of commands came from Hannes’ men as they repeatedly shouted for Jean and the rest to stand down, crossbows were aimed directly at them, but it was clear in their eyes that none could shoot their comrades. 

“Get up,” Hannes pulled Eren up on his feet before planting his hands on Eren’s shoulders before looking at him seriously. “Mikasa is not with him, as well as Nile.”

Eren winced and glanced down the cage, his adoptive sister wasn’t with Jean’s group, and on the loose. If the Marleyans controlled Jean, then it means they must know all their movements at that point. Reinforcements were on their way, and Mikasa could keep up with Eren when it came to strength. “I can’t leave you all to face her.”

“You don’t have a choice but to let us.” Hannes persisted and yanked Eren out of the room. “Erwin and the other injured scouts are at the safehouse, alright. Knock five times on the hidden door we’ve talked about, and Rico would answer.” He gave Eren one final squeeze on the shoulders, while all Eren wanted was to help Hannes. But if his friends are in danger and injured, Erwin and Armin would need all the assistance they could get. 

Spotting the large flower vase by the doors, Eren hurled it toward the window, just as he heard the sound of more approaching steps, and he didn’t doubt that Mikasa and Nile were a part of the incoming enemies. “You better not go down without a fight, Hannes.” Eren chided and leaped out of the window. He didn’t stick around and quickly fired his maneuver lines toward the adjacent building, leaving Hannes and his team to face the next onslaught of attacks.

“Thank the angels, you made it!” Armin was the one that opened the steel doors of the safehouse. Eren made sure to place the hidden square panel of the brick wall at the outhouse of Trost’s city council’s greenhouse back in place. No one thought it off that the council had an outhouse of gardening tools stored at the back. The community garden hid the Survey Corp’s safehouse from the above-ground while ensuring it connected to the intricate tunnel system out of the city. The safehouse was ten feet below the ground and expanded toward a maze of quarters and bunkers that could easily hide away five hundred soldiers and attack enemies in dozens of locations in the city. Trost was built for strategic warfare after the civil fights that broke out decades ago against the governor. 

Armin gripped Eren into a tight bear hug, which Eren returned with his own. The safehouse bunker had more than ten double-decker beds with only half of them occupied. He spotted Erwin lying on one with his upper body shirtless and large strips of cloth were wrapped around his torso spotted with blood. Moblit sat behind a long workbench with a laptop before him and several cords attached to the new LifeLine Gear. The only other familiar face Eren saw in the safehouse was Marco, Sasha, Connie, Rico and five other scouts that Eren could guess were new cadets. “I’m glad you guys are okay as well.” Eren dropped his backpack by the door, while Armin placed the deadbolt back in place.

Erwin gave Eren a slight nod of his head and slumped back against the pillow. Sasha had a bandana wrapped around her head and didn’t appear to be extremely hurt since she started eating one of the stored energy bars at the small pantry of the bunker. Connie also had his right arm wrapped in bandages but explained it was only a minor burn after the scouts set a whole street on fire to buy them time to escape last night. The low hanging lights flickered but as he settled on a bunk next to Connie, his shorter, friend slung his uninjured arm over Eren’s shoulders and grinned. “Welcome to our little crib Eren, we got bottles of water, some chips in the pantry, and a month’s worth of nasty pre-heat military food packs.” 

Sasha offered half of her own energy bar, but Eren shook his head. “How are things up on the surface?” Erwin asked Eren, and the brunette immediately filled them all in on his long story from the escape in Orvud, to meeting Hannes. None of them looked pleased that Eren and Jean nearly ripped each other’s heads off, but Eren did assure that Jean was trapped with some of the other soldiers. “It's pretty much safe to assume...that our operations are compromised,” Eren concluded and turned to Erwin.

Moblit also paused with whatever he was typing on the computer, while Rico settled by the wall next to Erwin’s bunk. The taller man sat up and winced in pain before addressing the rest of them. “Not all of our plans are revealed. We are facing a setback, but I’m sure Hanji would figure a way for us.” Erwin muttered and stared pointedly at Eren. “Nothing’s changed with the original plan. So once we find a hole in their system, I want you to attack back.” 

Eren crossed his arms and smirked, of course, he thought. Leave it to Erwin to plot something mad and still push through with it. Moblit cleared his throat, and all heads turned toward him. “I got an update from the LifeLine system,” Moblit said grimly and swiveled in his chair to face them. “The LifeLine gear normally turns off automatically after a simulation, but this new gear is different.” Moblit laced his fingers together and leaned back on his chair and frowned. “The simulation won’t shut down. And according to the data, Marley is already running the 2nd wave as we speak. It's not shutting down until the mission is complete.”

“What’s the mission then?” Sasha asked, and uneasiness rippled through the safehouse. 

“For us to win, we have to take down the commanding officer's avatar, which means, find Levi’s character in the game...for them to win, they need to kill Erwin.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiya again, so I am not sure when I can update again. Don't get me wrong haha, I am working from home has its perks of writing from the comfort of my bed, but I also have other stuff going on aside writing. No worries, I will push out the next chapter soon ^_^. Hope you guys haven't forgotten about Levi, he's up next! :D


	16. The 2nd Wave Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The game just got harder.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone, welcome back to LifeLine
> 
> We are now in Part Two. I’m glad you guys enjoyed the story through Eren’s eyes over the past couple of chapters, but time to bring the story back to our other protagonist, Levi. Early warning, this chapter will contain themes of violence. So, brace yourself. Aside from that, enjoy the chapter! Leave some theories along the comment section on this question I am leaving which will be answered in the next events through the story. What exactly is Levi’s relationship with Eren? I actually can’t wait to reveal the song as well about Levi and Eren’s history. I’ll hopefully have time through these quarantine days to get those chapters out. That said, enjoy the chapter!

The mind had always been a human’s own sanctuary, but for Levi Ackerman, it became his prison and torment. Minutes blend into hours. Reality slipped into a hard distinction of memories and lies. He wished he could wake up. He knew that he was somewhere else before, but he found himself alone in a dark endless hallway. Hearing whispers of ghosts around him, but not making any sense of the words. The last he recalled was being in Grisha’s home, and then, nothing. No matter how far he walked, nor tried to turn the doorknobs of the doors in the hallways, none opened to him. 

Occasionally, a hallway would turn to another identical one in a never-ending cycle. He would find an open door, but whenever he turned the knob, he'd succumb to the phantom attacks of pain.  _ Don’t go further _ . A part of him kept repeating whenever he could breathe again after the sudden attacks. His voice didn’t work in this world he was thrown into. Even as his steps echoed within the neverending corridors, Levi kept moving. The aftershocks of pain didn’t make it easy the more frequently he came across an open doorway. Sometimes, he was tempted to ignore those doors. But, the light seeped under them, and the sound of familiar voices in the black and white world lulled him like a blind man through the dark.

The sense of time stretched in the hallways. Levi consistently turned to glance back or checked the walls. He never fully shook off the feeling that he was being watched. At the tenth turn, he felt rather than saw the subtle shift in the hallway. As if he walked into an old familiar space that he hadn’t visited in a long while. Only one door was at the end of the hall. The door appeared much older with a brass rusty knob and a rickety wooden frame. The smell of chemicals came from the cracks, and an ominous red light glowed from within. 

Levi felt a tug whenever he stepped closer to an unlocked door, but approaching the ancient doorway raised goosebumps along his arms and behind his neck. The whispers ceased as his fingers touched the knob. A lump formed on his throat, making it hard to swallow but after he nudged the door open, the memory hit the air out of his lungs.

He stood within the familiar circular tower he once dreamt about. The red bulb above him cast a haunting light through the darkroom, while the hung photographs swayed with the wind that blew from the window. A person stood by the open window caught Levi’s full attention. Similar to his first encounter with the person, the young teen sat along the edge of the windowsill while watching the world beyond the tower. Levi slowly walked closer to the person and placed his real hand on the man’s shoulder. The boy stirred. “Eren?” He said softly, his voice sounding distant as if echoing from a long tunnel. “What are you doing here?” 

The words fell from his mouth without much thought behind it. A different question formed in his mind, but Levi felt more like a spectator to his own actions. Eren turned, and Levi's heart raced as their eyes finally met. Jaded eyes filled with such warmth that Levi wanted to inch his hand to touch the sun-kissed skin, to do anything to feel something real. Eren’s full lips lifted into a huge grin as he scooted back into the room and stood closer to Levi.

“How’d you find me here?” Eren asked, his chestnut brown hair remaining a tousled mess that no combing would tame, and even under the bulky dark hoodie and sweatpants. Levi could trace the lean, runner’s built underneath. Instead, Levi snorted and stepped closer to Eren that he could smell the faint scent of the forest that clung to the boy.

“You always go somewhere high if you don’t want to deal with any of the old geezers of political figures back at the dining hall.” Levi countered, and Eren chuckled while Levi pulled the window close, and the cold wind ceased coming into the room. Just as natural it was as breathing, Levi’s fingers laced with Eren’s and he rubbed soothing circles along the back of his palm. 

“Basically, you came all the way up here because Erwin wanted my presence for the meeting.” He guessed with a small smile that tugged on the corners of his lips, before standing beside Levi. The shorter male shrugged his shoulders. The present Levi’s mind was running so many questions an hour. The familiarity, the small gestures, and the knowing smiles between them were all so right, but Levi knew it was all in the past. That soon he’d need to face the gravity of the fucked up situation he truly was in. 

“Perhaps.” The words tumbled out from his mouth and he moved toward the door, dragging a groaning and moping Eren behind him. “It’s not that bad, besides, you’d meet your father too, think of it as formally introducing me to your loving parent.” The hallway transformed as Levi stepped out into a narrowed spiral staircase that led down and out of the tower.

Eren’s booming laugh filled the entire cylindrical structure and brought an unconscious smile to his face. “You escorted my dad all the way here to Eldia. For all I know, you two are best of friends already, and chugging beer behind my back during the whole trip here.” 

“We weren’t chums,” Levi countered as he let Eren lead the way down the stairs. The whole way, neither of them letting go of their entwined fingers. “He and Erwin slept in the same tent, I had to share a tent with jackhammer snoring Mike.” He explained, but a single thought did cross Levi’s mind that sent the entire memory to fade around the edges.

_ The King wanted to gather for a formal dinner in a week with Grisha Yeager and Eren Kruger. Plans needed to be made, war is coming, war is coming, war- _

_ _ “Levi,” Eren pulled him out of his raging thoughts as they stepped out from the tower and into the main hallways where some servants bowed while passing by. The well-worn rust-brown carpet and scent of sunflowers brought out memories of long days in the training camp, where the swords sang, and steel clashed against steel. Levi was back in Shiganshina. “You seemed distracted.” Eren further prompted as they walked through the old castle of the Survey Corp’s base. 

“Just a lot of thinking,” Levi said and it shocked himself that it was literal words that he wanted to express, and not his body reenacting an old forgotten moment. He paused, and Eren’s fingers slipped off from his, causing the brunette to stop, but not turning to look back at him. 

“Don’t think too much.” Eren laughed and placed his hands in the pockets of his sweatpants, and all Levi wanted was to reach out again and stayed linked for a while longer. Instead, Eren sighed and resumed walking. Levi wanted to follow, but his feet remained glued to the spot. 

“I need to remember!” Levi shouted, his voice bouncing a couple of times but Eren never looked back or faltered. 

“But that’s your plan Levi, you wanted to forget. Tybur would never find the relics even if they dissected your brain.” A loud beeping sound flooded the entire space around Levi with enough force to revibrate through his body. He closed his eyes, and a scream was torn from his lips.

Hanji’s face loomed over him. The minute he could find the strength to actually open his eyes. Her eyes were bloodshot, and a deep purple bruise formed along the side of her right jaw. Small cuts littered her face, and her lower lip had a deep cut that only seemed to have blotted to stop the bleeding just minutes ago. Levi wanted to ask what bear mauled her, with how badly she appeared but his tongue felt too heavy to form any coherent words and his head hurt like a drill pierced through his skull.

Levi did try to sit up, but the bite of leather straps across his torso, wrists, and feet kept him in place on the bed. “Don’t move, please, you just got out of Djel’s lab.” Hanji placed her hand over Levi’s chest, causing the Raven to groan at the lingering pain that throbbed his entire head. 

Even trying to turn his head proved to be a challenge with the leather strap that held him in place. His throat felt dry, and with the minimal movement he had, Levi tried to further assess the situation they were in. Aside from Hanji, it was only the two of them within the solitary white room. The fluorescent lights hurt to stare directly at, and worry did cross him as he thought about Colt and Grisha Yeager’s fate. “Wha-” Levi croaked before coughing. Hanji’s eyes widen and pushed her chair aside to head toward the small table on the other side of Levi’s bed. As she stood, Levi finally registered the set of handcuffs over her wrists, and the blood that splattered her ruined shirt, the same shirt she wore when they visited Grisha.

“Two days had passed since I was stuck here,” Hanji explained and Levi heard the sound of water being poured into a cup, and soon, Hanji leaned closer to the headboard and fumbled with a few switches that made the bed rise enough so that Levi could sit up even with the awkward straps that held him in place. “Sorry,” Hanji muttered and moved the cup close to Levi’s lips.

It took a couple more cups of water before the dry patch in Levi’s throat was gone and the headache finally letting him think straight. “Where exactly are we?” Levi finally managed to ask while Hanji tried to make herself comfortable in the chair next to him.

She glanced at something above to the left corner of the room near Levi’s head and gave a tight smile. Mouthing the word “Monitored” to him, Levi exhaled loudly through his nose as if it were enough clues to know Tybur must’ve imprisoned him back in the Facility, or in a location where getting help would be near impossible. “I don’t know where Colt nor Grisha is, it's just us here, with Tybur’s men guarding the doors.” Hanji nodded toward the large metal door next to the long tinted black window that didn’t reveal anything from the other side. The room itself was bare of anything aside Levi’s bed, a small cot with rumpled sheets were next to his that he bet Hanji must’ve used the past two days. “At first I thought they wanted me only to start the game...but then, you were also in the room.”

Hanji glanced at Levi, and a strange look crossed her face, that at first, Levi thought it was the worry, but he noticed the way she stiffened and almost leaned away from him. It was fear. Hanji was scared of Levi even though it was him that was strapped to the goddamned bed and not her. “Do you remember Levi?” Hanji whispered, and annoyance flared in him that he struggled for a fraction with the restraints causing Hanji to flinch at the sound.

“I don’t fucking remember anything Hanji, except waking up and seeing your shitty face while I’m stuck to the damn bed.” The anger just flooded him, but as soon as it was out of his mouth, all Levi felt was pure exhaustion. He didn’t want these memory gaps, or being used. Everything just started to drag him into a pit of utter confusion ever since the game began. “That’s all this has ever been Hanji.” He said bitterly, while Hanji couldn’t meet his eyes. “This entire thing is just one sick game. And I can’t remember shit to help you unless you tell me.”

As if the floodgates to her tears opened, Levi watched helplessly as Hanji cried. “I’m sorry,” Hanji began mumbling repeatedly, before pulling her glasses off and repeatedly rubbed the tears from her eyes but it never ceased and only flowed freely from her. “This is all my fault,” and so, Levi listened, as Hanji talked to her about the concept of LifeLine.

Two years ago, Hanji was developing a simulation reality program that would help volunteers prepare for rough terrains for their expeditions in Eldia. The Technological Institute in Sina had initially approved the project, but Hanji and her team were too optimistic. Plans were made for an actual test, but they needed a natural environment, not a controlled one, to fully maximized the range of the gear. Thus, Hanji and her assistant, Moblit, wanted to test the gear on Colossal Peaks. “The Institute didn’t agree for the implementation of the test, but the Military Police agreed for a week trial.” Hanji gave a sad smile, and her story finally added up with her previous explanation. The deaths of her squad had caused her to not only lose her credibility as an inventor, but she also lost her job in the Institute and tried to submit her invention to other countries. Only Marley approved but it had come with revisions in the system.

Hanji’s program became the core of Marley’s warfare plan. Using the gear as a controller of droids as frontline soldiers would enable Marley to not only reserve their soldiers but could reduce the death toll. “Then, a year later, I was introduced to Djel, and later on, I was reintroduced to you,” Hanji said so quietly, Levi had to strain his ear to hear every word. Hanji wrapped her arms around her legs and settled her chin on top of her knees as the truth continued to be laid bare between them. “You had this blank stare when I first met you.” Hanji started, “We met officially in Tybur’s home. I was invited by Djel as he explained a technology inspired by my LifeLine gear. It was only a day after you were operated on, and you were standing straight but your fingers shook and your jaw was tensed. Everything about the set up was wrong.” 

“I immediately went closer to you and asked what’s wrong. You were standing upright but couldn’t recognize me. Tybur placed a hand on your shoulder and smiled, as if genuinely pleased with how unresponsive you were and...that’s when Djel told me about the chip in your head.”

The more that Levi listened, the faster his heart raced and everything began to be crystal clear in his head. All those nightmares he told Grisha, the vague flashes of memories of being held down as Djel stood so close to his face and hearing Tybur speaking near his side. His entire right arm felt dead to him, but it was the fear that kept him fully succumbing to the drugs that numb his senses as Djel held the small square chip in his hand and explained what would happen once he was fully sedated. A manic grin plastered on Djel’s face as he patted Levi’s shoulder on the gurney that day as he came in and out of consciousness. “Controlling droids through a series of commands was a delightful idea from Hanji, but I like the idea of turning our enemies on each other to spare the building process of the droids.” Djel placed a breathing mask over Levi’s mouth and nose while he continued to speak. “Of course, we still have to prototype it off by following the LifeLine program, but Commander Tybur here accepts that we make you or the very first recipient of the chip and see how effective it will be to fully control someone’s body through commands, yes?” 

Levi remembered trying to thrash out of the gurney in vain as the needle with the sedative pricked his forearm. If he wasn’t fully strapped onto the bed, Levi’s hands would automatically reach for his head, and try to find the stitches from his surgery. “You knew all along.” Was all Levi could say while Hanji tried to dab away her tears with the sleeve of her ruined shirt. 

“Djel only showed me how the chip worked, and that it would only be used to make sure you won’t hurt yourself and keep you in line.” Levi would have laughed if it didn’t hurt so much against the restraints. He knew that Tybur was strict with his commands. If his dreams were real memories, then Tybur had kept his words to make sure Levi wouldn’t go out of line ever again. Levi helped the Eldians, he stayed with them and may have been subjected to insubordination of his commanding officers. 

“Marley really found a way to chain me to this country.” Levi summarized, and stared at Hanji intently as the thought suddenly occurred to him. “I hurt you, didn’t I?” 

His eyes lingered along Hanji’s neck where the clear distinction of purple bruises wrapped was on display. Hanji tried to cover it with how she kept her usual rat’s nest of hair covering the injury, but whenever she shifted in her seat, Levi saw the ugly marks. Wanting to probe her further stopped when the metal door slid open and Djel walked in, his large grin that made his entire face morph into a morbid image of a grinning skull. Greying hair began to stick out from the usual combed down thinning hair of his, but otherwise, the man seemed even happy to see both Levi and Hanji tied up in the same room.

“Good morning, Captain Ackerman. I trust that your knuckles are healing well.” He greeted while a couple of armed soldiers in black uniform stepped into the room, and hauled Hanji to her feet. The circulation from his wrists was nearly cut off, so Levi wouldn’t be surprised if his only remaining hand was pricked with pins and needles after Djel stepped closer and placed a hand on his prosthetic limb. “Now no funny business,” He recalled while one of the soldiers cocked the end of the gun at the back of Hanji’s head. “I don’t want to be using the device to move you against your will to the observatory room. The game is currently on-going.” 

Levi gritted his teeth but stayed still while Djel hummed to himself and removed the restraints. Swinging his legs down the side of the bed. Levi briefly noticed the back of his hand was wrapped in clean bandages. “Off with you now, the commander’s already waiting for both of you.” Djel nodded toward the door, and the urge to punch the man’s face made Levi’s already aching hand itching to form into a fist, but he didn’t want Hanji to get hurt either. Even if he’d be fast enough to attack Djel or disarm the soldier keeping Hanji hostage, there’s still the uncertainty with the chip in his brain. It wouldn’t be passed to Djel to really use the chip against him. 

The soldiers kept a firm grip on both of Levi’s arms in case he planned anything aggressive while Hanji was led out first, followed by him, and Djel directly behind them. Outside the confining white room, the hallways were part of the Facility but lacked the usual number of doctors or medical staff. “The lower floors are cleared for government use,” Djel answered his unspoken question as they entered the familiar corridor toward the game room where the pods for the gamers were arranged. Most of Djel’s crew hovered over three pods that Levi couldn’t discern from the faces who they were. A green bulb glowed above the LifeLine gear, signaling that the players were currently in a simulation. 

It’s the first time that Levi was in the room during a simulation. The soldiers brought them into the other room, where the computers displayed the live feed, and Levi nearly faltered in his steps, while Hanji gasped at the sight of Colt and Grisha tied to a couple of seats across a table at a corner of the room. “Hey guys,” Colt tried to grin, but his right eye had swollen shut and bruised purple. The entire right side of his face was smeared with fresh blood, and Levi’s eyes were drawn further down to where his wrists were cuffed to the hand rest of the chair but several fingers were broken and bleeding along where the nails should be. Grisha also sported a broken nose, and his glasses were missing. Small cuts of what looked like precise incisions of a scalpel along his forearms and neck. 

Fury spiked within Levi, but Hanji was pushed forward and restrained in another chair beside Colt. “Remember, no fighting in real life, Ackerman, I want you to stand down.” Tybur stepped into the room, and everyone stood in rigid attention to the commander. The man had tied his blond hair back and the coldness in his eyes seemed to drop into a lower degree that he briskly walked toward the monitors and crossed his arms over his chest. Levi half turned his head to the screen and his eyes grew wide while he watched from a gamer’s perspective of flying across a city filled with towering buildings, and marble towers with glittering flags scattered through the city. Banners with sigils of crossed wings, a stallion, and roses were found on certain buildings and on the back of the Eldian soldiers. However, what held Levi’s interest, in particular, was the green cloaked scout at the central monitor. Levi didn’t even realize that he tried to shuffle closer to the screen, but Tybur did, and the small smirk of triumph unnerved him.

“I see you finally remember the pest, I have been trying to catch him since your old reports about his connection to the mysterious mountains of Eldia. But then, you just stopped reporting altogether, and I had to hear it from Zeke himself how you found a certain attraction to the boy.” 

Levi tried to lunge at Tybur in a futile effort before he was shoved back on a chair that was placed directly before the monitors. “The Eldians made you weak, Ackerman.” Tybur sneered, while the pair of soldiers fastened Levi’s hands onto the arms of the chair. He’d seen Tybur be mad before, but not as the sinister glare from the man at the moment. He held his hand aloft as Djel silently gave a tablet on his awaiting hand. While Tybur’s eyes and hand flicked through the tablet, Levi’s focused on the monitors. Eren was being chased by whoever were the players on the screen. He led the players through the maze of buildings and eventually crashed into a mosaic stained-glass window of a marble building with a domed roof. 

_ What are you doing? _ Levi silently thought, but then, Tybur stood right in front of him. Levi tensed as the man’s icy fingers carded through his hair before yanking his head back hard to make Levi stare directly at him. “How’d you do it, Ackerman?” Tybur asked, and there was a touch of madness behind his fiery gaze, but Levi held his tongue since he had no idea what he wanted. “We’ve been going through your memories even before Djel’s idiotic mistake of nearly making you brain dead from the operation. Everything was a clean slate.” Tybur’s fingers tightened on his hair, that Levi painfully winced. “Grisha says you must’ve done something knowing you’d be captured. Magic he says.” 

“Nephilims keep their secrets tightly guarded,” Grisha added softly from the table, and Levi saw flashes of memories surging through the front of his mind as if forcibly yanked from his brain.

He was back in his original room in Eldia, he knew it was a living space Eren and he shared. The scent of firewood filled the air and gave a warm glow within the darkroom. Eren slept under the covers on his side of the bed, but Levi’s attention lingered on the large ornate wooden box. Placing a hand over the book, Levi’s eyes lingered on the back of his hand. He was so used to seeing the metallic limb that memories of his real hand had long blurred away from his mind. A pair of wings similar to the emblem of the Survey Corps stared back at him, almost as if it was burned to his skin. The only difference was the chalice along the bottom of the wings that was the same object etched on the lid of the box. “You know I barely ask for favors.” Levi heard himself say, while his fingers traced the rough outline of the chalice. From the bed, Eren mumbled something incoherent before turning on his side. The memory faded and Levi was back, in reality, breathing hard, and Tybur’s hand finally left his scalp. 

Levi became vaguely aware that Hanji kept calling him from the table, nor did he even have the energy left to lift his head as he tried to gain some energy to stay conscious. Most of the scientists huddled around one of the computers and all Levi could guess was that they somehow pulled on his memories and tried to get any clues from it as he had, but they obviously found nothing worthwhile. “Are you okay?” Colt slurred, as he tried to speak with his bruised face, and all Levi could do was nod. 

“He escaped,” Grisha added softly, and only then did Levi turn his attention back to the screen. The players were trapped in a metal cage and surrounded by half a dozen Eldian soldiers. At first, Levi was relieved to find Eren being hauled out from the room, but his small hope and excitement vanished, as soon as the monitor went black, and Tybur leaned at the table near Hanji and grabbed one of the soldier’s guns. The entire room was silenced by the tension, as Tybur clicked the safety off the gun. 

“Let’s raise the stakes shall we.” He murmured, and the LifeLine’s logo appeared on the screen. “Djel had already reprogrammed the game to be conditional based. Basically, the game will keep running until the mission is over.”

“That’ll be dangerous to the player’s health! You can’t expect the players to not stop playing past the time limit.” Hanji quickly countered, and Djel grinned and waved toward the other room through the tinted window. Three pods were active, even though the monitors were not showing live feeds of the game. 

“Don’t worry, my team ensured that all players will be sustained through the longer gaming time. And soon, Levi would be equipped too.” 

“What makes you think, I’ll play along willingly?” Levi spat back, and the sound of the gunshot filled the air. Pain sparked through his entire body from his right leg. His heart raced and Levi tried hard not to flinch too much as the agony continued to run down his entire lower body. 

“Either you cooperate, Ackerman or the next shot won’t just affect you,” Tybur warned and placed the gun directly on Colt’s temple. The young scientist froze and his eyes widened as the commander’s finger rested lightly on the trigger. Levi wanted to say a lot of nasty things back at Tybur, but the way Colt had braced himself as if fully resigned to dying made Levi hesitate. 

“Don’t drag others into this.” Levi finally said back, and Tybur chuckled, but pulled the gun away, causing Colt to slump back into his seat. The young man had a brother, a family to return home to, Levi can’t put Colt’s life on the line because of his mess. “What do you want?”

Tybur stepped back closer to the monitors and typed some commands down on the keyboard. The entire four large screened monitors flared back to life and showed the view of Trost, the fortress city from on top of the walls. Levi’s heart dropped as smoke rose heavy and thick through various parts of the city. “The same as your original mission all those years ago Levi.” Tybur drawled. “I told you before to bring me the source of Eldia’s power. Their resources would be a stepping zone for Marley’s expansion to the other island nations, yet you couldn’t even do your mission because of being attached to the Nephilim?” The commander practically spat at Levi, losing all composure for a moment.

“Eldia just wanted to be left alone, they meant no harm to the other countries, nor Marley,” Levi said back, and clearly remembered now, the long arguments similar to these when he finally discovered the secrets of Eldia and the story of Eren’s home. “Whatever weapon or crazy fantasies you are trying to get from the country is just a waste of time. The king will never give it to you.”

At that, Tybur briskly walked toward him and stuck Levi hard on the side of his head with the gun causing him to groan. “Then, make sure you get what I need then Ackerman before your friends here die by the day.” Levi clenched his hands into fists as three soldiers stood directly behind Colt, Grisha, and Hanji, their guns trailed at the back of their heads. “Remember, the stakes are higher now Levi, the game won’t end until either your entire team in the game is wiped out. Or you kill Erwin Smith and retrieve the relics.” Levi’s head pounded and he could feel his own blood roll down the side of his face from the gash that Tybur inflicted. “This is more than just a game now Levi. We have actual droids deployed through Eldia at the moment to carry this mission out. If you don’t make any progress for Marley, at the end of the day one person from your team dies.” 

Tybur tossed a folder directly on the ground near Levi’s feet and showed the files of his LifeLine team; Annie, Falco, Reiner, and Bertolt's faces stared right back at him. “Let’s see, you got four players with you, and three friends with us in the lab. I’d say, eight days would suffice for you to carry out your mission.”

“Bastard,” Levi hissed but tried to sit up straighter in his seat while staring down hard at the commander that had trained him like a wolf on a leash for years. There was too much at stake. He couldn’t let Tybur win, but he also wouldn’t accept anyone dying because of him. What Levi needed was away. A single chance, a chance to take Tybur down and communicate with the Royals of Eldia to save the country before it was too late for what he would do.

Swallowing the lump that formed in his throat, he glared at Tybur and said, “Eight days is enough, Want me to give you Smith’s head on a silver platter too?” He deadpanned, but Tybur eyed him critically before turning to Djel.

Djel promptly stepped forward with the updated helmet of LifeLine, while Tybur stepped back to let the scientist strapped it onto Levi’s head. He wasn’t ready to enter the game, nor was he ready for whatever the commander wanted to do with the Eldian relics. From the side, Levi tried to shut out Hanji trying to reason out that the Nephilim race wasn’t even as powerful as they once were, that Tybur would be placed in a trial for misusing government funds on a useless war with Eldia. However, no one listened, because if the resurfacing memories of Levi’s were anything to go by, and if the scientists in the godforsaken room had gone through his thoughts. They had an inkling of an idea just how powerful Eldia would be if they relied on the powers of the royal relics of Ymir. Once the gear was secured onto Levi’s body, Djel frowned at the bullet wound on his leg but said nothing.

Eight days in the simulation, however, Levi couldn’t allow the game to drag that long if the lives of those around him would be killed one by one. “Do your mission right this time Ackerman, unlike before, this time, we will be watching,” Tybur warned before the gear activated, and Levi’s vision went dark.

Immediately, the pain of his body didn’t matter, his consciousness slipped into the avatar of the game. It took only less than a minute for the camera to give him a feed of Trost. It wasn’t the burning buildings nor the wail of the sirens that caught his attention first, but the difference of build and form of his avatar. Of course, if his target was the real Erwin Smith, then his avatar wouldn’t be him, but it wasn’t Eren Kruger either. Levi glanced at the character panel along the upper right corner of his screen and laughed bitterly at the irony of who he was playing. 

“You have got to be kidding me.” Levi spat, knowing that the scientists could hear every word from the other side.

“It seems rather fitting for you to play that avatar if I must say so myself. It just took a while for Djel to get his information.” Tybur countered, while Levi flexed his hands and scanned the buildings before him. Somewhere in the city, his team and the Survey Corps were out there, hiding, and desperately trying to survive. “The clock’s ticking,” Tybur added, but Levi ignored it and leaped off the walls. 

Firing the vertical maneuver gear to sail through the air in the city, it didn’t take more than five minutes before an enemy mark appeared on his map, fast approaching him from the east.  _ There are no save points _ . Levi recalled Hanji telling him before. If his avatar dies, it wouldn’t be past Tybur’s nature to just take matters with his own hands and maybe have Zeke finish his mission. It wasn’t a game anymore. The very thought made Levi a lot more careful about who to move through the city. It became a fight where he couldn’t lose. 

** _ A Challenger is close by _ ** . The warning appeared before his screen, and Levi landed heavily on top of an apartment building just several meters away from the wall. He moved his character a full turn to survey his surroundings and shock left him standing rigid as he finally found the challenger that leaped over the rooftops quickly to reach him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyo, was the chapter a bit too wordy and dull? Don't worry, pacing will pick up on the next chapter! :)


	17. A Challenger is Close By

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello Everyone! Welcome back to LifeLine. Back into the game, and now Levi is virtually within Trost, where the rest of the Eldians are. I hope everyone is staying healthy and safe at home during these long days if you are in quarantine mode. Thank you all for checking in on LifeLine as well. It really makes me happy you are reading my fics. 
> 
> It’s actually been a bit of a struggle to write these days. I know, with all the time being at home, it should’ve motivated me to write, but it’s really stressful these days. Maybe it's the cabin fever, but it's just all these anxieties with the whole pandemic that’s bugged me a lot. So, hope you guys enjoy this chapter ^_^  
-DanDeeLion

** _Three Years Ago_ **

Time moved like the seasons for Eren Yeager. He wore a new name every springtime that he deemed the start of a new life. It blurred from the grey barren winters to the hopeful warmth of spring. That time, he had spent ten springs within the inner walls of Eldia. He did wonder often how long until the name Eren ceased to matter to him? At that time, he lost count of the number of names sired to him by whoever carried the sword. 

A muffled sound of boots down the creaking wooden floorboard stirred Eren from his sleep. At first, he ignored it but knew who approached even with his eyes close. The sound of his other roommates’ snores filled the space, but none felt the Commander’s presence aside from him. On the bunk above, Armin mumbled in his sleep while Eren rolled to his side facing away from Commander Eyebrows.

“I have a task for you,” Erwin whispered, but Eren barely moved and only snorted at the thought. The day before, King Rowan and his men had a formal dinner at the Duke’s manor with the Marleyan soldiers. Eren admittedly thought he was invited only for King Rowan to shake his head lightly and gave him an apologetic smile. “Walk with me. We have much to discuss.” Erwin added, and the thought of leaving his comfy, and warm bed annoyed him. The King told him persistently, to not only watch over his dear and only nephew, Erwin but also listen to him as his commander.

Yesterday, King Rowan wanted Eren to be part of the welcoming entourage. He held no formal royal title, a royal trinket perhaps, but nothing worthy of mention to their guests. Commander Erwin met with one of the Marleyan generals who oversaw the training program and provided the right documents of every soldier the Survey Corps and the Military Police would account for in two months. As soon as the van drove away, Erwin nudged the box of paperwork to Eren’s feet and grinned. “Memorize the names of the soldiers and catalog their files for Commander Nile.”

Dumbfounded, Eren lifted the lid of the file box and grimaced at the two dozen folders that waited for his attention. “I’m not your secretary you know.” Eren countered but lifted the box in his hands just the same. 

“Of course you’re not,” Erwin chuckled and walked with him back within the Duke’s home. They’d only been staying for a few days before escorting the Marleyans toward the training camp in Karanese, where most of the program would commence. Some of the fellow cadets like Eren busied themselves in the Duke’s stables, or at the library where the cartographers worked with the last batch of scouts to update the map of Colossal Peaks. Just the day before, Eren assisted with the frisky old woman, Aida, in drawing new sections of the lowest mountain that their soldiers mapped out from the excursion. “The King is just busy with the formalities with the new soldiers, and I would soon be caught up exchanging unnecessary flattery with their generals.”

The two of them entered Reiss’s library, which took up nearly a quarter of the size of the eastern wing of his manor. The Reiss family dedicated the room for the scouts to use whenever it involved the expansion of Eldian’s lands outside the walls. Survey Corp’s history of excursions was made there. Ever since Dimo Reiss’s ancestor, Gillian Reiss, a known Survey Corps commander began her detailed cartography works of the land beyond the northern walls of Maria. The first floor of the library held many heavy and yellowed page tomes that lined along the shelves covering from the floor to ceiling. Many of them were even written in the old language of alchemy and magic.

Long mahogany work tables and plush chairs occupied the center of the room, along with boxes filled with rolls of paper and measuring tools for cartography. From the far off corner tables, Eren found his friend Historia, busy talking with old Aida over tea. When she spotted them and waved Eren over. The girl’s bright sapphire eyes, the only tell-tale signs of their shared past. “So where do I fit in with this new grand scheming of yours, Smith? These many files can be sorted out in your office when we get back to our main office.” A few scouts saluted Erwin as they passed them through the library, and Erwin waited until the scouts were out of earshot before turning to Eren. 

“Of course I’d look through the files as well since this is a joint program with Nile. We needed to equally distribute the Marleyan soldiers according to their abilities for the upcoming weeks. What I need from you is to help me keep our enemies close, and under tight scrutiny.” 

After Erwin left him with his little reading assignment, Eren spent the rest of the day learning about the people who would eventually join them in training next week. However, he didn’t expect Erwin to wake him up, at an hour where the gods are still asleep, for a new task. Erwin maybe his superior within the Survey Corps, but often, Eren was tempted to tell Erwin to fuck off and get Mike to do his dirty work instead. Erwin gave him the space to change out of his nightshirt and sweatpants, and into his uniform before the two of them left Jean, Connie, and Armin to sleep more.

Even at the early hours of 5 am, some soldiers began the morning routines of making breakfast, readying the gears, and even starting to gather supplies from the market to bring back to Trost or the other outposts of the Survey Corps. Erwin kept the hood of his green cloak up just to avoid the other soldiers to fuss over him. The reputable Erwin Smith, the youngest commander of the Corps, etcetera. Eren thought with a smile while a few familiar faces waved toward them, mostly because of Eren. Once, they were both out of the Duke’s estate, and into the dirt road leading to the city proper, Erwin visibly relaxed without the eyes of several dozen soldiers milling about within the Duke’s home. 

“I need you to watch Levi Ackerman carefully.” Erwin eventually said after a hushed silence fell between them, and the sound of the morning bird calls filled the air. 

Eren only had the shirt on his back, and the chill morning breeze washed away any remnants of drowsiness that he felt since leaving his bed. Out of all the Marleyan soldiers, he would be lying if he said that the other Ackerman didn’t pique his interest. “Why me?” Eren nudged the loose branch in front of their path with his boot, moving it to the side while they continued their walk. It was a good twenty minutes between the Duke’s estate, to the city proper. 

“You have the most experience with dealing with Ackermans,” Erwin said, as the sound of the distance trucks reached their ears. “Have you talked with Mikasa about any lost relatives by the name Levi?” 

As a matter of fact, he did ask Mikasa last night at the dining hall. Mikasa is another one of the orphans that Grisha and Carla Yeager had adopted just a few years after Eren. Her parents died during the forest fire that occurred along the outskirts of Shiganshina. Their old home was too far from the village and help only arrived in the morning after Carla and Eren stumbled upon the smoking forest from their drive to Colossal Peaks. Mikasa barely spoke nor showed any emotions during the first week that Carla decided to adopt her. It led to Eren figuring out her evasive fear of fires afterward. Even after years of living together, Mikasa held little memories of her time before the Yeagers took her in. 

Eren shoved his hands in his pocket and shrugged his shoulders. He expected last night that Mikasa won’t have any recognition with the other Ackerman, but at the mention of the name, his friend paused, and a sadness glinted through her eyes. She unconsciously lifted a hand to rub along the fraying edges of the red scarf he gave years back. “My father’s side, I remember hearing about relatives that live by a sea village outside of Eldia. Dad told me about her sister that moved away from Sina after their ancestral home was sold due to unpaid debts.”

Mikasa kept her gaze on the bowl of curry before her, moving some of the food around on the plate while her mind remained elsewhere. Lost in the memories from a time she was a child. “All I know is that dad barely had contact with his siblings, and he didn’t want to talk about Uncle Kenny.”

“Mikasa’s family is complicated,” Eren answered bluntly, and Erwin merely nodded as they finally reached the main paved road that would take them deeper within Sina. The Reiss family and their out of the way manor made it difficult for the press to get information on the Marleyan guests. He didn’t want to add that Levi Ackerman’s files were as useful as a blank piece of paper. Hardly any records or vices to his name. “His records show that he’s clean.”

“Yet he’s Zeke Yeager’s second-in-command.” Erwin pointed out before the taller man sat on the worn-out bench of the bus stop. Some buses dropped off any of Reiss’ guests to the main residence, and also some who walked toward the small subdivision on the other side of the road. During the early hours of the morning, the only people out on the streets were them, and a stay tabby cat that watched them lazily with one eye open under the bench. Eren crouched down and held his hand out for the cat to sniff. The cat only closed its eyes and resumed sleeping. “My Uncle told me about Zeke’s reputation in Marley. His Grisha’s real son.”

Eren placed a tentative hand over the top of the cat’s head and relaxed as the small tabby grey feline began to purr softly to the touch. Years back, Grisha had mentioned having another son in Marley. A teenager at that time, who grew up independently and currently studied to become a soldier, but Grisha also had his worries about him. “Zeke grew up with too many expectations from his grandfather, and from what I know, it was his maternal grandparents that took care of him while Grisha was away on his medical research.”

“Uncle Rowan heard stories of Zeke’s brilliance in tactics, but more so with his command of Marley’s wolf,” Erwin added, and Eren sighed and dropped his hand from the feline. He glanced up at Erwin, trying to discern what exactly the man wanted, but found both Erwin’s face and thoughts unreadable. 

“You keep treating Ackerman as if he isn’t a person.” The words were hollow even for him and Erwin entwined his fingers together. “The man is clean by the records.”

“On record, you are a twenty-year-old young man, with a hidden title as one of the King’s Swornsword. You know better than anyone that records can be remade to fit the needs of the duty given to them.” Erwin retorted, and a smile lifted the corners of his lips.

“So that’s what this is about.” Eren chuckled and straightened up as he stood. “Espionage, and digging, two things that the King and his advisers couldn’t ask in public.” Eren sat beside Erwin and stretched his legs out. The cool rustle of the wind made the trees above them move in a gentle dance. The political standings between Eldia and Marley had always been fragile. The reigning monarch never agreed to hand over any part of Eldian soil for Marley. The other nation wanted to exploit any weakness or leverage that would force the King to sign the papers of handling parts of Eldia to Marley. It was a begrudging agreement for the King to even allow the military training program to commence as an act of goodwill for the rest of the island nations. 

King Rowan was being cautious, he couldn’t openly draw the line of where the Marleyans can go and do as they please. It was then up to Eren and Erwin to make sure that nothing bad happens in two months that might show the rest of the world that Marley has the right to stake a claim on the island nation. “The Marleyan president didn’t just send his prodigy general and best soldier for petty war games didn’t they?” Eren guessed, and Erwin neither acknowledged nor denied his claim but watched Eren tentatively before resting his chin on the knuckles of his right hand. 

“We wanted to hope that the King’s paranoia isn’t a product of old scars from the mountains. I do think Zeke is up to something. Levi as well, but between Ackerman’s strength and yours, only you can stop him.” Then, to Eren’s surprise, Erwin smiled with the same expression he wore when he was challenged by the old commanders during his youth. “I want you to break down Ackerman’s walls and find out why they are here.”

A week ago, Eren would’ve thought his task was easy, however, it did infuriate him to no end how difficult the challenge was. The first thing he found out about Levi Ackerman was that he worked alone, and preferred it that way. Within a week after the Marleyans have settled into a separate cabin room in Sina’s military encampment, Eren only caught a gleam into Ackerman’s personality only through the cadets that did the drills with them. It took only a couple of days for the Marleyan soldiers to relax and get along with the cadets of Survey Corps.

The King made sure that Zeke Yeager and any older Marleyan soldiers were assigned with the Military Police, that way, they could remain within the confines of the capital. The less experienced cadets were grouped with Eren’s batch of scouts, with Levi being the overseer of the training. During the whole physical drills, Shadis had to pull Eren aside and practically shove the bronze cuffs in his hands. “Restrain yourself, and don’t expose who you are Nephilim.” The older man hissed urgently, and Eren rolled his eyes and made for a show of clicking the restricting items to his wrists. He didn’t particularly enjoy the heaviness it caused to his senses whenever he put it on. But it was deemed necessary after the incident with Stephen and Nifa when he was placed to train with the scouts.

At lunch, Eren lined up with the rest of the scouts to get their rationed food from the cooks. On the way to the cafeteria, Eren spotted the Raven standing idly by the stables. The Marleyans were not used to primitive means of transportation like horses, however, in a month the 60th expedition to Colossal Peaks would take place. It was a risk, but Erwin and the King agreed that if the Marleyans were to insist on being part of the Survey Corp’s regular tasks, then the expedition was a must for them to participate. Levi bonded fast with the wild horse, Xande, its midnight black coat, and powerful legs made it built for the rough terrains of the mountains. The stallion proved too rowdy to tame, often biting and stomping at anyone who tried to get near him. The horse breeders were amazed by how quickly the short man managed to reign Xande in after Levi spent one afternoon in the stable with a horse brush and sugar cubes. 

Levi allowed the horse to nuzzle his hand, even though a scowl was permanently fixed to his face. Once Eren came closer, Levi frowned and glanced sideways at him. “What do you want, brat?”

He froze and was itching to punch the guy.  _ Brat? _ He thought and nearly laughed if only Levi knew just how old he truly was. Eren noticed how Levi’s eyes went down toward the end of his sleeve, and quickly he placed his hands behind his back before the glint of the cuffs caught his attention. “It’s um, lunchtime, sir. Come join us.” He tried for a more friendly approach and even added a forced smile at the end.

“No,” Levi said flatly and went back to caring for the horse, feeding it small sugar cubes from the pocket of his coat. “Have you seen the poor state of the cutlery in the cafeteria? Not even properly disinfected, and don’t get me started with the god-awful tea they serve.” The man practically spat, his hard gunmetal eyes met his. Normally, Eren could get a glean on another’s true emotions through their eyes, but with Levi, all that Eren felt was cold detachment. 

“The purpose of this program is for us to get along you know.” Eren pointed out, as Levi tried to leave the stable. Eren stood between him and the open door. 

In a sense, it was comical that Eren was a head taller than Levi, but the intensity of Levi’s gaze challenged him, or rather, the man was annoyed at him. “No, the purpose of this mission is simply to remind your lot how far behind you all are with military weaponry and tactics.” Levi grabbed Eren’s shoulder but he held his ground. Even for the man’s short stature, Levi was quick on his feet.

Levi tried to unbalance him by swiping Eren’s legs while shoving him to the ground. Instead, Eren leaned along with the force of Levi’s hand and sidestepped out of the way. Quick on his feet, the momentum nearly drove Levi to the ground if it weren’t for Eren moving behind Levi's back, and yanked him upright with his own right arm. Eren gripped Levi's arm loosely in an awkward angle, he could easily pin Levi against the stable’s door frame. “Tsk,” Levi could only mutter, but the shock was evident in his face. The shorter man yanked his arm free and avoided staring back at Eren. “It seems you’re not as idiotic as you appear.” The Raven added but a strange light, almost like a ravenous glint in his eyes for a brief moment before walking out of the stables. 

It was Eren’s turn to be mildly impressed. No one had been close enough to match his speed before, and while he did let his guard down. Ackerman made a move to pin him down. The Raven was still fast.  _ Restrain yourself. _ Shadis’ voice barked in his mind, and Eren placed his hands behind his back again. His fingers tugged the cuffs of his sleeves over the bronze around his wrists. Levi stopped a few paces and turned back to look at Eren. “Oy Brat, I thought you said it was time for lunch.” 

A laugh came out from his lips, and Eren couldn’t shake off the smile that widened on his face as he caught up with the Marleyan captain. The man was still a brick wall for him. Hard to read, and even harder to predict, but he’d find a way through his defenses somehow. Ackerman wasn’t a stone-cold enemy, right? “Eren” He found himself muttering, and Levi raised an eyebrow at him. while Eren jutted a hand in front of Levi. “My name’s Eren Yeager.” 

It was just one of the many names he’d donned. One of the few that he’d called himself, but as the Raven wrapped his slim fingers along with his hand and shook it firmly, somehow his name felt solely his. “Eren huh, well, I’m Levi Ackerman.” Something warm and foreign fluttered in his chest, but Eren ignored it. As they let go of their hands, he let Levi lead the way to the cafeteria. Somehow, that first time, he and Levi converse, that small moment as a smile tried to tug on Raven’s stoic face. Eren caught a second that bloomed a feeling in him similar to the first day of spring even in the heat of summer at Sina. 

** _Day One of The 2nd Wave_ **

A gentle hand pushed against Eren’s shoulder if it weren’t for the familiarity of the touch. The dagger hidden under Eren’s pillow would’ve struck home on Armin’s chest. Without opening his eyes, he turned over and yawned. The normality of the situation brought him back to the past. He dreamt of that early morning conversation with Erwin. The day he was assigned to Levi Ackerman, but instead of a giant fuzzy browed commander, his friend with large doe-like blue eyes stared down at him. 

Over the years, Armin had always been shorter than Eren or Mikasa. There was a time even that, because of Eren’s Nephilim bloodline, he acted as the older brother of the trio. Forever being stuck in the form of a young man. Carla and he often moved from one small town to another, just to keep the guise of his age, and won’t draw suspicion that even after several years. It was a strange feeling to watch those around him shift from youth to adult, and though in some distant memory, Eren had felt those changes himself. At the present, Armin stood at the same height as he, and the roundness of his cheeks began to chisel to show his jawline.

“Commander Erwin wants to meet with us,” Armin explained, but obvious worry made Armin move restlessly, shifting from foot to foot and rubbing. If it wasn’t for his exhaustion and lack of decent sleep for the past couple of days, Eren would’ve been comforting Armin and his other friends. Eren wasn’t there when the LifeLine gears began to function differently. Armin, Sasha, and Connie witnessed their friends turn against them, and drew their blades to kill. Halfway through the briefing with Moblit, the edges of Eren’s vision blurred, and Connie had to pull him back against the chair to keep him upright. Sensing that nothing good sleep deprivation would do, Erwin made the order for everyone to rest and resumed the meeting when everyone rested.

Eren sat up, wincing at how his muscles flared in pain from all the running and crashing into objects through his adrenaline-filled haze. At the foot of the bed was a spare change of uniform and some toiletries. He may not be as freakishly clean as his boyfriend, but even Eren scrunched his nose as he realized how he slept on the bed in his blood and dust-covered clothes. A groan even left his mouth as he pulled his legs out from under the covers and saw the muddied smudges left by his boots under the covers. “Min, you could’ve helped me at least help me get these boots off.”

Half a smile brightened up Armin’s features, while the rest of the other scouts in the bunker shuffled around to get ready as best as they could. Eren shucked off his boots and grimaced at the bruises along his legs that left purple and yellow spots through the length of his knees to foot. “You were out like a light during the meeting. Connie and I had a hard time getting you in the bunk, and we both remember how dangerous it was to mess with you when you’re asleep.” Armin chides, both of them recalling the time, Jean tried to tuck him in under the covers as a dare when they were drunk only for Eren to kick him right on the crotch in the process.

“It wasn’t  _ that  _ bad,” Eren muttered but picked up the fresh bundle of clothes and went straight for the door that indicated the shower, hoping to feel more like himself again after a quick wash. 

By the time that Eren joined the rest of his friends within the small space by the entrance of the bunker. Moblit greeted him with a subtle lift of his coffee mug, but the deep purple shadows under his eyes were a sure sign that the scientist didn’t sleep much even after everyone else did. Rico assisted with binding a more secure bandage around Erwin’s injured arm. The large Commander himself wore a much casual attire of a loose white shirt and faded jeans. His hair was tousled and the five o’clock shadow began to grow along his jawline. “You look fresh,” Erwin commented as Eren pulled up a stool and sat closer to Moblit’s table while picking up an empty cup. 

“And you look like a college professor that just lost his job and hadn’t taken a proper shower in days.” Eren mused, his other hand reached for the pot of brewed coffee at the center of the table. 

Erwin shook his head as he watched Eren dump a copious amount of sugar into the black coffee, and gave it a quick stir. From deep within the bunker, Sasha’s heavy footsteps bounced through the hall, until she stopped between Connie and another cadet with a piece of bread wedged in her mouth. Her white buttoned shirt hastily tucked into her pants, but at least she still had the decency to brush her hair back. “Right,” Erwin began, and ran his uninjured hand through his hair and reached for his phone on the bedside table. “Since everyone is finally refreshed, we all know that staying here like frightened rabbits isn’t the solution to our problems.” 

A few of the newer cadets paled, and couldn’t directly look at Erwin in the eye. For Eren, the only ones who didn’t flinch were the same scouts that went up to Colossal Peaks with him years back. They knew the danger and the feeling of facing death’s door right before them with every step. “Eren mentioned how some of the Garrison soldiers up above are doing their best to detain some of our fellow scouts affected by the gear. Moblit here already deciphered what Marley’s objective in the game is, and whatever happens. We need to buy the King and the people enough time to secure the capital.” 

“But sir, the Marleyans have outnumbered us with our soldiers.” One of the nervous scouts pointed out. “Not to mention those...metal men that attacked from West Trost.” He added, and Eren turned his attention to the scout. 

“What metal men?” Eren asked, while Moblit turned his laptop around and showed him a short clip from one of the street CCTV's along West Trost district. Three silver-plated human-shaped machines that moved like any other person, but it's the maneuver gear strapped along their bodies that haunted every scout in the room. 

“Mike and his team were sent to take them out, but we haven’t had word from them yet,” Moblit added, and a heavy silence filled the room. Eren stared critically at the moving machines that bare an uncanny resemblance to how scouts soar through the air with the maneuver gears, but the LifeLine helmet was attached to each head. 

Connie scratched the back of his head in annoyance and crossed his arms. “We got enemies on all sides then.” He laughed nervously, while Sasha continued to chew on her piece of bread beside him. “But why do they want the commander?”

“Weakened the military, and the higher-ups would be forced to negotiate terms.” Eren supplied before taking a tentative sip of his overly sweet coffee. He needed the extra amount of sugar if he’d be going back out there to fight. Knowing that Mike was out there, meaning the rest of Erwin’s squad was left to fend for the city. Soldiers like Hannes, who’d be fighting guns and swords without proper gear to stop the bullets. The more Eren thought about it, Marley only needed was to render Eldia weak enough for the taking. Erwin was the kingdom’s next heir, and thanks to the intel Zeke had provided, if Erwin went down, the King would be forced out of hiding. 

The gears were also turning in Armin's head while he sat beside Erwin. The two blondes stared down at each other. Deep in their bubble, but their gaze held that unspoken argument about the problem at hand. “We can’t let them get Erwin.” Armin finally voiced, causing Erwin to shift and try to stand, but he staggered back down his bed and winced.

Rico immediately pressed a hand on his shoulder. “What do you think you’re doing? You aren’t in any good condition to move!”

Erwin sighed and shook his head. “This whole mess is because of me. Zeke and Tybur have a grudge after they got humiliated before the nation. Not to mention how it was my call to give Levi a position within the military.” 

“Then I’m also equally to blame,” Eren said back, but Erwin shook his head.

“You’re too valuable to them, if they’ve already interrogated Levi, they know what you are.” Then, a realization has drawn on Erwin's face before he stared at every single scout in the room. His calculated eyes shifted from Eren to the unscathed LifeLine helmet on the table. “Moblit, do you still receive the video feed from Hanji’s program in Marley?”

Confused, Moblit shifted the laptop back to his side and tapped away on the keyboard. “Yes, so far my bridge to the system isn't firewalled. I can still access the game, but any major shifts or changes would tip them off to our location.”

“We won’t be here by the time they realize the changes we will make.” Erwin countered, and Eren glanced at his friend. The commander had his thinking face on. He stared at the unused gear on the table and asked Moblit a question. “Do you think these would still work in their game?”

“What are you plotting?” Eren dared to ask, but Erwin stared pointedly at him.

“Do you trust me?” 

“Depending on what you have in mind.” He answered back before Erwin relaxed and asked Armin to bring him a blank notebook and pen. 

“It's time to play their game.” 

*****

_ Petra. _ The name rang through Levi’s head while the scout flew through the air with the blades of her sword held crossed over her front. Her eyes glared straight at Levi as if she didn’t know him. But of course, she wouldn’t recognize Levi either because of his avatar. The metal humanoid body that presently invaded Eldian territory. The gun holstered around Levi’s belt was heavy and loaded. Behind Petra, three more figures emerged from behind the towering buildings. Levi didn’t wait around to count the number of soldiers, with barely time to adjust to the avatar he used. He leaped off the rooftop and landed hard on the metal fire escape ladder on the side of the building. 

Rusted metal creaks under him. Levi took the metal rungs two at the time as he focused on getting below ground. The flying gear of the Eldians gave them enough mobility above ground, but back on the earth, their movement was limited. Levi reached the streets just as the scouts touched down on the building. He stuck close to the alleyways and moved along every possible cover under sheds and trees. Levi knew that if Mike or Petra managed to pin him down, Tybur expected blood. The streets of Trost were deserted by any citizens, but the thin layer of smoke from the burning cars and buildings shouldn’t have made the ache in his chest to triple. This person Djel forced him to play wasn’t built to be a runner.

Levi heard the distinct sound of the wires above him. He pivoted to his right just as a brutish dark-skinned male with short-cropped hair plummeted to the sidewalk. A string of curses came from the man, as Levi fired a hook to the nearest corner signpost to veer sharply to the left street. The wire pulled tautly and launched him forward just a few feet off the ground. “Don’t be a chicken Ackerman, you know that these peep squeaks aren’t a challenge for you.” Tybur taunted in his head. 

Ignoring the voice of his tormentor, Levi focused on the small green beacons that signaled his team. None of his teammates moved from the center of Trost. He wanted to send a message to them, but with the new body and the faulty communicator that wouldn’t connect with any of his team members. The only other option for Levi was to get within range and regroup with his squad. That was also assuming he wouldn’t be sliced to bits. Firing another hook and propelled forward through the wider streets. Under the towering structures, Levi found it harder to predict where the scouts could pop out from. He paused, right at the center of the intersection, and craned his head up as the smoke completely blinded him. The sound of wires and dark shadows moved all around him. Levi stood his ground and tried to calm his nerves.

_ Focus _ , Levi repeated over and over in his head. There was no way of pinpointing where the scouts would attack him, but even so, they didn’t jump into action either. His heart thundered in his chest, and his other senses were on high alert. 

** _A Challenger is close by_ ** . The server reminded Levi. A distinct sound of the wire came from behind him, and without hesitation, Levi pulled out the single barrel gun from his holster, spun on his heel to turn sharply round, and fired at the incoming enemy barreling toward him from behind. 

_ BANG! _ A single gunshot sliced through the utter silence, followed by the loud thump of a body hitting the ground. His senses still on hyper-alert, Levi took a few steps closer to the body a few feet away. Everything felt too slow, and the ringing from his ears remained from the aftershock. 

Blood pooled under the unmoving body, but it was the cold, and dead stare of the scout’s unseeing eyes that bothered Levi the most. It wasn’t the first time he’d seen people die in the line of battle. Through his years as a soldier, Levi hadn’t felt regret, or remorse for the ones he killed. He was determined to not be on the receiving end of the gun. There wasn't even a moment that Levi wavered, even as the enemy begged or pleaded for his mercy. Even as he placed those facts in a mental checklist. Petra’s dead eyes stared straight up at the sky with the large bullet hole right at the center of her forehead. From his peripheral vision, Petra’s comrades were shouting her name, but sounds were muted to him. The life fully drained out of Petra’s eyes. 

Oddly, the death before him made Levi go back to the time he was still a child. His uncle had just picked him up from the small cabin where he lived most of his life with his mom. The tall and lanky uncle with the huge brimmed cowboy hat and alcohol reeked beige coat took him on his first train ride to Sina. The sights and sounds from the rid should've brightened up his mood, but all Levi saw was the filth and blood that drenched the floor when her mother collapsed. No matter what Levi did, his mom didn’t rise, and even after Levi scrubbed the blood clean from his fingernails. The iron smell of the blood ingrained itself in his mind. “Look, kid, you must survive.” Kenny didn’t even glance his way while Levi’s eyes stayed fixed on his shaking hands. The same palms and fingers that shook as Levi gripped the gun.  _ Why was he recalling  _ that _ particular memory?  _ For all Levi knew, Tybur pulled up every horrid moment in his life just to coax the rage in him into action. “The world will never be fair to brats like you. So either you suck it up, and punch any enemies coming to hurt you, or you let them beat you to a pulp.” Kenny grumbled further and placed his hat on top of Levi’s head.

Back then, he was too numb to feel anything. The memory of that train ride and all other events that led to his stay in Marley blurred together. He felt nothing, even as he did whatever it took to survive. His fists must’ve bled a lot whenever he struck those that challenged him. Kenny taught him the basics, oh, they’d gone through so many arguments and broken bones. But on that train ride, he faced his first challenge to himself and lost. Kenny covered his face and even if he didn’t feel his heart ached for the death of his mom, that night on the train that took him far away from the sea that he knew. Levi cried.

_ You must survive. _ The words echoed in his head, and Levi gritted his teeth.  ** _A Challenger is close by_ ** . He turned away from Petra’s body. From above him, the agony in the man’s voice was raw as he yelled Petra’s name. “You’ll pay for this!” Levi starred up, as another familiar face, Oluo Bozado, the man who could barely get his words out and was part of Erwin’s squad. The man had a weird trait of biting his tongue if he spoke too fast. The anger in the charging scrawny man with wavy blond hair has changed the indifference he showed back when Levi still trained with the scouts. “I’m sorry,” Levi muttered and aimed the gun straight at Oluo. It wouldn’t be the last time he’d drawn blood through this game, but he made a promise. He had to survive. 


	18. Versus Ackerman

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! Welcome back to LifeLine, before we begin the story. I’m going to take a minute to thank you guys because we have reached 2,000 reads for the story! :) I know it’s a bit of a small accomplishment, but I am still so happy that you all are enjoying LifeLine. Anyway, I know it has been such a long time since I’ve updated. I got into a really bad slump that made it difficult for me to find focus or have motivation to write. These next chapters are really crucial for the plot, and I felt like I couldn’t fully convey it properly. However, little by little, this chapter is finally made!  
I struggled a lot with the action scenes here, there is a song for this chapter, and I will reveal it as you guys read because it is an important part of this whole story. Anyways, Game, Set, Enjoy!

The first time Levi held a gun point-blank at an enemy, it was a young enemy soldier from the Mid-East Alliance. Adrenaline ran high in his senses, while he stood in front of the soldier. The man’s dark locks clung to his forehead, and ash smeared all over his face. It didn’t help that the soldier cried with his hands tied and knelt before Levi. His commanding officer stood next to him with a sneer plastered on his face. “Don’t hesitate, Ackerman, remember the mission.” Lieutenant Bronx served eleven years for Marley and supervised the base camp in the Mid-East Alliance for three years, all of which Levi had been a part of his troops. That evening, Lieutenant Bronx came back to the camp with five tied up soldiers that tried to spy on them. Only being a week since Levi arrived, and his Lieutenant rounded up all the new cadets on the yard outside their base. Each soldier had a loaded gun in hand. Bronx’s platinum blond hair was cut to a military standard. Under the bright spotlights from the watchtower, it nearly glowed a ghostly silver. The man’s dark eyes trailed heavily on the cadets, but more so with Levi. He’d handpicked him personally after seeing the high scores from his training back in Marley. However, it was real life then and there, no cardboard cut out set out on the shooting range. No clay pigeon to hit off from the air, but a live person at the mercy of the end of the gun's barrel.

“If they are the enemy of our motherland, I expect no more second-guessing from any of you,” Bronx said louder. He silenced the whimpers from the captive prison with a single bullet to the side of the head. Levi and his fellow cadets didn’t flinch, even as the blood-splattered against his camouflage uniform. The man before Levi trembled and shut his eyes tight while mumbling what Levi could guess as a prayer. Before Bronx even had another ill-intentioned word to be said, Levi pulled the trigger, and didn’t avert his gaze as the soldier died before ending the prayer with his tear-streaked face. It surprised him how watching a person become lifeless and cold numbed his entire being. Mercy was for the weak. He knew that since his mother died. And throughout his stay in war-torn countries, Levi just lived with that fact.

To say the least, he never had another stutter when holding a gun. Levi lifted his arms, and automatically aimed for Olou, he pushed aside the dark thoughts that ran through his mind. Everything just went on autopilot with his body because he was trained to kill. The bullet made a clean aim at Olou’s shoulder, and another on his right leg, causing the man to flatter and drop to the ground like cutting the strings off a marionette puppet. Oluo tried to lift himself up from the ground, but Levi didn’t wait around for the other scouts to find him. He soared back up in the air and held his breath as he flung himself toward the tight street obscured by the roaring flames and smoke. 

Whatever fight happened on the streets, the cars were left to smolder and burn. There were no bodies along the sidewalks, nor signs of aggression, however, Levi’s lungs burned to have a fresh breath of air. He heard the clear sound of the maneuver gears around him, and with the concealment of the grey smoke, he had no clue where the scouts were, nor they knew his exact position. Taking in only small puffs of air as he swung his way through the burning vehicles, and dodging bullets left and right. Levi weaved his way through the city until his position ran closer to the labeled names of his comrades.  _ Where are they? _ He thought when a sharp pain stabbed through his left shoulder. 

**The enemy is close by** . His screen projected minutes too late. Levi tensed as a dark form rammed right at him. The man tackled Levi with enough force that his wires were snagged off, and they fell several feet off the ground. The impact of asphalt against Levi’s metal android body was the only thing that saved him from extreme physical damage. The receptors of the game still knocked the air out of Levi’s real body from the impact. The man on top of Levi placed a hell of a fight. The man being taller by frame, but in brute strength and technique, Levi had the upper hand. While the enemy tried to pin Levi to the ground with his knee pressed down Levi's chest, Levi’s hands fumbled with the grip of his swords. Before the man could restrain his arms, Levi tightened managed to pull out the long blade from the sheath, and stabbed the man on the shoulder. The scout howled in pain, clutching at the thin, but a sharp blade that jutted from the side of his arm. The pressure on Levi’s chest lessened enough that he could shove the man off, placing enough distance between them when the man spoke. 

“Wait! Don’t shoot!” The man coughed and made him freeze just as his gun trailed at the older scout. One of his fingers remained steady just inches from the trigger, as recognition dawned on him. The person right before Levi was none other than, Hannes, the Garrison soldier that watched out for Eren years back. Hannes’s uniform had a fine layer of ash, and long gashes of what looked like glass slicing through his face and forearms. The man’s light brown eyes stared down at him critically. As the sound of more approaching scouts came overhead, Levi hauled Hannes to the side and placed a hand over his mouth. The older man tried to struggle out of Levi’s hold, with the robotic frame of his avatar, communicating with non-players was a challenge. 

Eventually however, Hannes stopped moving, as Levi placed more pressure against the stab wound. Hannes’ groans were muffled by Levi’s hand, but he managed to drag Hannes to the side and into a tight space between two buildings. As the sound of the wires and commands echoed above Levi, he held his breath as the Eldian scouts moved on, coughing and gagging through the smoke. A bloody hand wrapped around Levi’s wrist, as he stared at the pale and clammy face of Hannes, his eyes held a glazed expression between pain and exhaustion. “I’m sorry," Levi muttered, even though he knew the soldier wouldn’t be able to hear his words or knew it was him. Levi readjusted his grip on Hannes, that he managed to place the man in a headlock. Hannes grunted and spewed a few harsh words and profanities. Eventually, once Hannes passed out, Levi made sure to check on his wound, and hoped that Hannes had some soldiers out to find him there. He used the bandages from Hannes’s own small pack of first-aid. As much as Levi wanted to stay until he was sure that Hannes wouldn’t bleed to death. The clock was ticking for him, and he found a friendly name on the map in the helmet’s screen. 

“Glad to see you’re not rotting in a ditch,” Annie greeted as Levi entered through the back door of a closed supermarket. Annie sat directly at the door, or the person that Levi assumed as Annie. The scout directly in front of Levi frowned the way Annie would’ve in real life, but it appeared more out of place with the scout’s freckled face, and short black hair. A shotgun lay across Annie’s lap, with her arms draped over it casually, but he stiffened at how Annie kept the gun trailed at the door. “You knew I was coming through.” Levi countered and shut the door behind him. 

The sound of several footsteps filled the space until the rest of his team arrived with different faces and gender. However, Levi noticed the common denominator between all of them was the strange metal brace that hung on the scout’s nape. Aside from Annie, the only other person he was sure of the identity beyond the player’s avatar was Falco, who somehow retained his avatar Nile Dok. Reiner and Bertolt, what happened to your original players?” Levi asked as he tried to make heads of who was who? 

The horse-faced character that Levi recalled was named Jean was a person he saw Bertolt used from his first encounter with the avatar during their first virtual meeting. Jean raised his hand and Reiner’s voice came through his receiver. “I got Bertolt’s character somehow when this game began, though I popped into the game differently than the rest of them.” Reiner waved toward the rest, and Bertolt’s character was a tall soldier with slightly tanned skin and a buzzed cut hairstyle. Levi didn’t know him at all, but a short message appeared on his screen, with Hanji as the sender. 

** _That's Keiji, he was part of the scouts that explored Colossal Peaks_ ** .

“Isn’t it dangerous for you to give away information?” Levi asked back, and another message appeared on his lower screen. 

** _Don’t worry about it, all these geezers know is that I am merely sending feed of the actual location to you. I can still keep our conversations muted from them to see. Anyway, Keiji used to be part of Moblit’s squad, but I don’t even know how they got him hooked to the game. Be careful Levi, what happened with Petra is permanent. Anyone killed won’t be coming back._ **

Levi tensed, but a part of him already knew the stakes at that point. He’d killed before, but that was for survival, LifeLine was only a game for Marley. A stupid game that could actually be their solution to winning a long-standing war of power. “So what’s our plan now?” Falco pointed out.

He addressed, not only Hanji but also his squad. All of them stared at him with anticipation, until it was Reiner that cleared his throat. “We were hoping you have the grand plan. Though let’s settle down for a few minutes, and catch up. The last time I checked, your game character was Eren Kruger.” Reiner’s hand waved, up and down to emphasize Levi’s new form. “Who’s this?” 

“This metal piece of scrap metal was built exactly the same as the body of my uncle... Kenny Ackerman.”

Seven hours remained until the day within Trost was over. By the time that Levi had briefed his team of their objective, and the current predicament they were thrown upon. It was already late in the afternoon. Reiner and Falco took turns explaining how they were placed in the game. Falco opened the door to his and Colt’s apartment, and several armed soldiers escorted him back to the facility. “The scientists just took me into the simulator room, and brought in Annie, Reiner, and Bertolt soon after,” Falco explained, while twiddling with his thumbs. An unusual image for the older man he was using in LifeLine. “I asked where my brother was since he never came home that morning Hanji asked him to go to the lab. Dr. Djel just told me he was being requested to report on urgent matters, and that we were going to enter the game for a longer period.” Falco turned his eyes to Levi, but the raven couldn’t tell him yet about the attack at Grisha’s own home. He needed the cadets to focus on the task at hand.

“After that, we were strapped back into those pods for the simulation. There were a lot more wires plugged into us. Like some to keep us hydrated and sustained.” Bertolt added, while unconsciously rubbing his arm. His real body remained in a state of comatose. “We did ask for your whereabouts, but Dr. Djel said the exact same thing, about a meeting with the top creators of the game.” 

“Since then, we were told to scout the whole of Trost and kill enemy soldiers. It’s just like a game of Call of Duty.” Reiner chuckled, but Levi inwardly cursed at the predicament. None of them were truly aware of the gravity of the situation. To them, it was still all a game. And what Reiner said next changed the game up entirely. “We got intel as well that other Marleyans are in the game. Something about Commander Tybur wanting this to be a huge drill for different squads to carry out a singular mission.”

“Who’s the leader of the other squad?” He still dared ask. From the hesitation of the soldiers with him. Levi knew, even before Reiner said the name.

“General Zeke Yeager is in the game, and already is on the hunt for Commander Erwin as we speak.” 

Levi clicked his tongue and slumped back on his chair. The five of them gathered around in the small break room where the supermarket staff kept food in the employee pantry. It wouldn’t be hard for any of them to raid the isles, but even with the steel barricade that secured them from looters outside, The main supermarket felt too exposed, not just from enemy soldiers, but from Marley as well. Levi had no doubt that they were still closely monitored, but if Reiner was sure that Zeke was in the game, it would only be a matter of time before the self-righteous prick found them. 

They sat around the long worktable, while the steaming mugs of coffee that Annie brewed several minutes ago were all left untouched. For Levi, he knew that his form was only an automaton, a non-living thing. Built to replicate the physical abilities of the man who raised him. He glanced at the mismatched identities around him. They’re not naive. He knew that out of everyone, there was a reason that Hanji and Colt gathered them, was for him to trust each other as a team through the game. The memories of the past were still hazy, but in the fragments of his past, the only certainty was seeing Annie and her friends with him in Eldia. The blond soldier in Marco’s body lazily traced the lip of the cup before her. A bored expression made Marco’s face relaxed, but Annie’s mood still slipped through. “This isn’t a game anymore.” Levi finally admitted, while Bertolt and Reiner shared a quick glance, meanwhile Annie shrugged.

“It is for them. The reason we are here in the supermarket is because of the jammers that distort communications.” Annie nodded toward the antique radio that sat on the pantry’s counter next to the canister of sugar, and tray of cups. 

“How’d-” Levi began to ask just as Bertolt gave a swift downward gesture with his hand in front of him.

A map of Trost appeared as a holographic image at the center of the table and showed a dozen green dots through various points of the map. A cluster of them beaconed like a giant epicenter where Levi and his team were. Five more were quickly making their way in a v-formation through the right side of the map, right towards the city’s center. “That’s Zeke’s crew. We could identify fellow players, but the Eldian scouts could only be detected within a certain range.” Bertolt’s index finger followed the movement of Zeke’s group, while Levi scanned the full scale of the map.

“If they are still moving, that means, Erwin Smith isn’t found yet,” Levi concluded, and mentally crossed out the portion of Trost that Zeke moved in. “Could Zeke’s crew talk with us?”

“They could, but until now, they made no attempt in communication.” Falco shrugged and took a tentative sip of the coffee. The disgust in his face would’ve been comedic if they weren’t all too preoccupied with the situation. 

A part of Levi knew that Zeke had the infinite amount of patience to remain silent unless directly talked to. Levi has yet to even beat the man in a game of chest. The glasses-wearing Yeager remained two steps of them. “If we don’t kill Erwin by the end of the day, someone from the outside will die.” Levi finally voiced the new rule of the game that Tybur proclaimed.

Everyone’s eyes drifted back to him in shock, while they allowed the words to fully weigh on them. He explained the stakes of the game. The reality of Eldia. Most importantly, Levi talked about the people at risk. By the end of it all, Falco stood up abruptly, and he pointed a shaking finger to Levi. Horror and anger clashing at the younger cadet’s face. It made Nile Dok’s face appear much older and strengthened the accusation as Falco spoke. “Why’s my brother tied up with this mess.” Falco’s voice trembled, but the anger quickly fueled more of his words. “All he wanted was to get a normal job, inventing things, and now the Commander wants to kill him, because of a war in this country!”

“It wasn’t Hanji’s intention of getting him completely involved.” Levi began, knowing how Colt had only been fully involved just as the project commenced. “I will do everything to keep your brother safe, we just have to figure out how to handle this mission without any more bloodshed.”

Falco suddenly stood up and slammed his hands on the table. None of the others around Levi flinched. He watched Falco’s movements carefully, in case he had to restrain the boy from hurting himself and everyone else in the room. “No, this mess happened because you didn’t follow simple orders.” The venom behind Falco’s tone made Levi recall a comparable situation years ago, the first time he was pressured between disobeying or following Tybur’s commands. 

Levi slowly stood and stared back at Falco’s eyes. “If you were ordered to kill an innocent man, will you do it?” 

For a moment, Falco, hesitating, and with the brief distraction, Levi grabbed Falco’s wrist and yanked him hard enough that the man’s form was draped over the table. Mugs of coffee toppled over and spilled, while the holographic map disappeared. Levi kept Falco pinned to the table. One hand pressed down on the square of his back, and the other held firmly on Falco’s arms in an awkward angle. If given enough pressure, Levi could’ve easily snapped a bone in two while the young cadet squirmed under him. “This is Marley’s rule, kid. If you hesitate, another person would do the deed for you. If you are ordered to kill someone, never waver.”

Eventually, Levi released Falco, and the younger soldier still had lingering resentment for Levi in his gaze. Levi couldn’t blame the boy for hating him. In a sense, he knew that it really was his fault that involved so many people in the mess he created. “This won’t bring you comfort, Falco, but if we want to finish this game, we need to brace ourselves for the people we  _ will _ lose along the way.” Falco turned away from his gaze, but there really wasn’t any wishful thinking in the predicament they were in. A part of him knew that if they played by Tybur’s rules, Eldia would lose their independence, and more.

“I have a plan, but I need you all to cooperate with me, and ensure not only we survive, but also the men you all are using for this game.” He expected his team to say no, and he wouldn’t blame them for leaving either. Instead, Reiner, Bertolt, and Annie placed a fist directly above their chest, where their heart was. Levi recalled the peculiar salute the Eldians did to their ranking officers. Falco let out a long exhale, but after a moment he followed the gesture. 

  
  


***

Throughout history, great cities could be destroyed in seconds because of large-scale fires. The blistering heat and thick fumes of smoke drew him back to the time he assisted in evacuating the citizens of Ragako from the wildfire. It was funny to him how his memory worked. The more he stayed within the game, the clearer some details returned in his mind. Any headache or migraine was pushed aside by the sheer determination to stay alive.

He hated throwing the improvised firebombs within the russet-stoned buildings along with the outer districts of Trost. Though it was the only way, he and his team would be able to draw attention toward the place they wanted.  _ Where there’s smoke, there’s fire _ . Levi thought before he struck a match on the kerosine soaked cloth that quickly grew into a decent size flame. He and Falco stood near an open manhole, and while Levi knew it would be a hit or miss on igniting a fire in the underground sewage system, smoke would force them out from hiding. Tossing the smoking bottle into the manhole. It only took a few minutes before the putrid stench and gas poured out from the hole. “Let’s keep moving,” Levi muttered while Falco held onto the bag filled with their DIY gas bombs. A little bit of chemical mishap practice with Hanji during the making of the game finally came in handy. 

Bertolt, Reiner, and Annie kept guard from up high on the rooftops. Tossing their own improvised grenades through open windows, or down already burning chimneys. In an hour, the entire main street from the gates of Trost, all the way to the city center became an inferno. “I never thought you’d had it in you to be a pyrotechnic, Ackerman.” Zeke’s deep voice grumbled through Levi’s receiver. The Raven was itching to go up in the air again to head for the next district of Trost, but his eyes scanned the map on Zeke’s current whereabouts. “Don’t get your pants in a twist, Levi, I’m nowhere near you. I will be soon. There’s a little pesky runt we are trying to catch, but we’re still a bit too far out of range to trap it in a fair fight.”

At first, Levi had no idea what Zeke was bragging at him for. He was tempted to just ignore the man entirely when the message appeared on his screen. **The enemy is close by**. Both Falco and Levi drew their guns and aimed at the speeding scouts from above them. Levi could barely make out the shadows of the scouts fluttering cloaks in the darkness of the night. He counted off three people hurtling toward them like oversized birds of prey. “How good is your aim in the dark?” Levi asked Falco, as the younger soldier raised his arms higher, and leveled the gun at the closest enemy. 

“Decent enough,” Falco mumbled and opened fire. Levi pivoted, as another soldier tucked into a roll before him, and made a fast swing of the sword with his right arm. The tip of the thin blade made a clean cut through the front of Levi’s chest. Sparks flew when the blade hit the metal body, but Levi placed in enough distance between them. Under the evening light of the moon, Levi could immediately recognize the person attacking him. The same tall build, and stance while holding the silver blades in both hands. A flash of familiarity came to Levi. 

Off to his right, Falco engaged in battle with two scouts at a time. Somehow, the boy was nimble enough with his gun as the two other female scouts couldn’t even come near him. “Falco. Levi. Get on higher grounds, I can’t get a good shot at them if both of you are in the mix of things.” Bertolt spoke through Levi’s ear, and from the shining points on the map, only Bertolt was near their position. The soldier that Levi once thought as Eren Kruger, wasn’t the same person before him. The man fought without holding back. Levi bit back a curse, as the man quickly got within the close range that a single strike by his blades and Levi would be sliced in half. 

A bullet lands between them, causing the masked soldier to back off. In the single instance, Levi saw an opening, just one shot, and it would’ve been enough to end the man’s life. He could finish things with the nameless player, but even when his hand remained steady, and angled parallel to the man, Levi didn’t pull the trigger.

“Captain! We’re almost there, and Zeke’s crew is just right in front of us.” Reiner’s voice snapped him out of his daze. Two teams were speeding towards Levi and Falco’s position. Kruger, took several steps back, ready to flee, as it became more apparent that back-up was on its way. Zeke’s taunting him about a fair fight, and the sudden ambush of Eldians. It was Kruger that Zeke was pinning all this time, not Erwin.  _ But why _ ? To his left, Falco managed to graze one of the female scouts with his gun. However, none were fully making contact, with how fast the scout moved. A sheath of arrows slung on her back, but she managed to agilely move closer and closer to Falco, by running and hiding behind stalled cars on the road. 

Locking eyes with Falco, he gritted his teeth, and saw the tension in the boy’s gaze. The young cadet was trained with utilizing guns rather than swords. Even the initial hurdles of using the maneuver gear while fighting, it had been something Falco never truly mastered proficiently. “Bertolt, guard Falco, he needs his back defended, Annie, and Reiner, this is a direct order. Make sure Zeke’s crew doesn’t touch the ground.” He said firmly and tossed his loaded gun to Falco. The younger man catching it from the air. With his hand now free, Levi made a swift downward swipe of his hand, that revealed several action commands in the game at his disposal. If Kruger was truly a player in the game, he had the right to challenge him as well. 

“Don’t you fucking dare, Ackerman,” Zeke warned. The sound of clashing swords and raining bullets were muffled behind Zeke’s words. Reiner and Annie were carrying out the command at least. 

Kruger turned on his heel and edged to bolt from the street, but Levi immediately sent the challenge request. For several antagonizing seconds, Kruger froze and stood with his hands clenching and unclenching along with the serrated grip of his sword's hilts. The challenger request vanished and large, bolded words of green flared before Levi’s monitor. “ **Challenge Confirmed.** ”

The two scouts halted from their fighting, and it gave Falco the right moment to fire his wires upward, and swung himself safely to higher ground. Kruger nodded to the two scouts, and the pair stood down, moving back to the shadows of the building, and nearly blending to the darkness. “We’re ending things now,” Levi mumbled and drew his swords. Kruger shifted his feet in a wider stance, and held the sword on his right hand in a way similar to Levi; the dull edge of the blade nearly rested against his forearm and elbow with the tip parallel to his side. 

He drowned out the annoying voice of Zeke on his receiver and the warning messages that popped at the side of his screen. Levi’s focus narrowed on him before the taller soldier pounced, and their blades clashed.

**(_Song for the fight: Norwegian Pirate by Two Steps from Hell_)**

The first strike of their blades had been enough for Levi to prove that Kruger isn’t the person he claimed to be. Kruger’s right sword whipped out in a wide slashing arc from above, instinctively causing Levi to use both of his blades to deflect the strike to his head. Kruger then followed the action with his left sword that swung swiftly and nearly hacked Levi’s body in two from the waist down, if he didn’t kick Kruger away. The momentum didn’t unbalance the taller man but strike back harder by planting his left foot firmly to the ground. Kruger twisted his body and tried to aim a solid kick to Levi’s jaw with the other foot. The rapid flow of movements kept pushing Levi back into defense.  _ This isn’t a man built to fight like a soldier. _ Levi immediately thought.

If anything, the Kruger he knew fought more with his fists and favored his right hook punches. The man before Levi moved like a skilled mix-martial arts fighter. Utilizing every single body part, performing a lethal dance that Levi barely managed to keep up and dodge. Kruger, moved in wide circular movements. Never standing his ground, and constantly sidestepping, or ensuring that Levi couldn’t get a clear chance to spar face-to-face. This man was far from good, he hated to admit it, but the player had a better fighting style with swords than Levi could give credit for. 

“Seems you need a helping hand, Captain.” A teasing voice said that Levi identified as Yelena. Similar to Levi’s form, Yelena bares no actual body of a scout, but of an android robot built with the same gear as any Eldians. She landed a few feet away from Levi and Kruger and swayed lightly on her feet as if she were intoxicated. Even Kruger warily glanced at the sudden new opponent, but kept his swords up, as the woman’s chuckling reached Levi’s receiver. 

“I don’t need your fucking help, Yelena, this battle’s mine.” Levi spat back, but Kruger’s attention went to Yelena as the strange girl pulled a dagger out from the belt on her hips, and flung it straight at both of them.

Levi managed to duck as the dagger hurled toward him, meanwhile, Kruger pivoted, as Yelena ran straight for Kruger, swinging one of her swords in an erratic motion, like a farmer hacking away some stalks of grain. Cursing inwardly, Levi tried to get back into the fight but more bullets rained down on them. Levi ducked behind an upturned truck while Yelena wouldn’t let Kruger step out of the line of fire. The sound of gunshots went endlessly through the night. It greatly overpowered the sound of sirens from distant firetrucks and ambulances. Their diversion worked too well to smoke out the Eldians to a single district in the city. Somewhere, up on the rooftops, Zeke was there, and the pinning lasers that pointed at different parts of Kruger. The only indication Levi had before he jumped into action. “Bertolt, on my signal, make them blind.” He hissed, and charged out from his hiding spot. 

“Get down!” Levi shoved his full weight on Kruger, as the two of them fell back and more gunshots pelted on the asphalt. Levi felt a stabbing pain on his right leg, but soon after he and Kruger crashed to the ground in a jumbled heap of limbs and gear. He only realized it seconds too late, that Kruger, moved them in a way that Levi was pinned to the ground. Kruger kept one hand pressed on his chest, and the other arm bent in an awkward angle behind his back. Yelena’s robotic form went lax on top of Kruger, making a strange sandwich of bodies piled on top of the other. Under the glint of the streetlight, Levi saw the Eldian blade protrude from Yelena’s chest and out the back. In the same instance, the clatter of a can, and a loud hissing sound filled the street. Bertolt managed to toss the smoke bomb to conceal them from the shooters, but Zeke didn’t relent. A painful grunt came from Kruger, as a bullet hit him on the back more than once. 

“Fall back!” Levi shouted the order and shoved both of Yelena’s broken form and Kruger off him. The soldier barely fought back but with the amount of blood soaked the back of his shirt, Levi knew he needed emergency medical attention fast. 

Bertolt immediately found them through the smoke, and with Levi’s help, they carefully laid the wounded man on the ground. “If we fall back, we failed today’s mission! Someone will die on Marley.” 

“If we don’t fall back, we all would fail here and be shot to death.” Levi countered as the smoke became too thick around them, and Bertolt scratched the back of his head in agitation before another set of steps came toward them. Falco rushed at them, without any guns nor swords. He frowned and shook his head, frustrated at being empty-handed of weapons. A large explosion nearly knocked them off their feet. The ground shook, and the unmistakable sound of layers of concrete walls and floors falling down as gravity took full hold. A building was crashing down. 

“Reiner tossed a freaking grenade, just to scatter Zeke and his troops away from you guys,” Annie reported. “You all got some time to escape so take it. I’ll continue to find Commander Erwin, Reiner is already en route to our next meeting point.”

“Be careful,” Bertolt added and knelt next to the unmoving body of Kruger. On Levi’s screen, Yelena’s name had been crossed out. The game ended quickly for her, but Kruger’s chest rose and fell with his shallow breaths. “He’ll be dead if we leave him, sir,” Bertolt added, and Levi knew that carrying a half-dead man would be a waste of time to escape. Yet, Kruger saved him, as much as he tried to save him earlier from being shot.

The building continued to rumble and pieces began to crash on the pavement. Levi stopped hesitating, he grabbed Kruger’s arm and hauled the man up to his feet, while Bertolt assisted on the other side. “Don’t worry about us, Levi.” Grisha’s voice said softly at his receiver. Levi gritted his teeth, and nearly faltered while walking away from the battlefield. Shame and anger burned through every ache of his body. He had no concrete plan, and Zeke being in the game further complicated the situation. There were too many variables, and he just can't defend them all.

Levi wanted to scream, and the urge to punch the concrete wall gnawed on him, but he and Bertolt continued onward, with Falco deftly guarding their front while glancing back at their slow progression out of danger. “I’m sorry,” He whispered the words out because there was so much more he wanted to say. Even those two words felt inadequate with how useless he truly felt at the time.

“If anything is to go by, I am also sorry for not helping you sooner.” Grisha chides and cleared his throat. “Protect each other, Levi. Help will come soon.” When the line went dead, Levi tightened his hold on Kruger’s shoulder. If he let his thoughts wander too much, it’ll all fall into a dark void where grief will overcome him.

Bertolt and Falco rightfully also stayed quiet, but from the timer that glared mockingly on their screens, a whole day had come and gone in the 2nd wave, and someone in the base died, because they failed. 

*******

Levi’s group gathered in the Trost University Hospital building. While getting to the university led to Levi hotwiring a car to commit in the twenty-minute drive to safety. It was no denying that the bullet wounds needed to be examined and removed carefully. Falco sat at the back with Kruger with Reiner. The younger soldier applied pressure on the wounds on his back with a piece of tattered cloth from the first aid kit in his satchel. Driving in the middle of the night, Levi kept the headlights off and relied solely on the directions Bertolt rattled off as he stared intently on the holographic map of the city.

“Hanji made sure we could cover grounds faster with this, but only I got the map installed to my gear,” Bertolt explained as Levi floored the accelerator until they saw the distinct stature of Princess Rose holding a hardbound book in one hand above her head, and a basket of roses hooked around her other arm. The sight of the statue brought a small amount of recognition as if he had been to Trost University countless times. The lights to the university hospital were all shut off, in fact, the starking lack of people worried him as they parked the car along the side of the building, in case any other Marleyan soldiers discovered their whereabouts. 

“Reiner, you know how to surgically remove bullets right?” Levi glanced at the brutish man from the rearview mirror, and Reiner gave a curt nod. 

Since then, it was less than an hour later that Levi and Falco sat on a patient's cot, along with the recovery ward, while Bertolt assisted Reiner in removing the bullets in the ER. Without the single-minded mission of keeping the enemy soldier alive, Levi felt bone-tired from the turn of events all day. He persisted that his injuries would tend to after Kruger. Luckily enough, they managed to find painkillers for Levi to take as the bullets in his own body sent raw agony if he moved too fast. Falco curled up on the bed, his back to the wall, and arms wrapped around his legs. In the form of an older man, like Nile Dok, the boy looked ridiculous. Falco removed the confining harness and belts that wrapped around Dok’s body and even went as far as tossing his boots aside to feel a semblance of normalcy. 

After Levi stripped off the same gear as well and carefully settled on the bed. Falco lifted his head and turned slightly to him. “Doctor Grisha was the first to be killed hasn’t he?” 

The doctor’s words still repeated in Levi’s mind, and Hanji’s silence on the other end was silent. “He could be, or Tybur is merely playing with our heads,” Levi said frankly because mind games were what Tybur excelled at the most. 

Falco nodded, but his expression remained fearful and lost, he took a shaky breath and curled more into himself. “If I die in the game...will I also die in real life?”

“No one’s going to die, Falco,” Levi said firmly, as he stared at the unnaturally silver body he was trapped in. He was safe. Right? His body was still in deep sleep on the other side, and if they died in the game, it was just a failed mission and probably probationary action once he woke up in the real world. “We are here to just carry out missions Falco, these bodies, they’re not us.”

“Then why did you save Eren Kruger, sir?” Falco said back, and it was a question that he asked, with every step they took away from where he crossed paths with the soldier. “The player was the enemy.”

Before Levi could answer, a soft knock came from the door, and Reiner stood by the open door frame, his gloved hands were splattered in blood, and a grim frown was pointed directly at Levi. “Captain...there’s something you got to see.” Then, he turned to Falco and tossed him a small wrapped bundle which Falco nearly dropped. “It’s packed muffins from the cafeteria. Knock yourself out kid and go to bed.” 

Falco frowned, and placed the muffins beside him. “Don’t treat me like a kid past his bedtime.” He muttered, but couldn’t stop the yawn that escaped his lips.

“I’ll stop treating you like a kid, once you live up to that face you’re carrying, old man.” Reiner teased and stepped back as Levi walked out of the room and followed him toward the ER. The desolated corridors of the hospital gave it a haunting illusion, especially with the flickering emergency lights and beeping machines.

“So what exactly do you want to show me?” Levi asked, while their boots made clip sounds against the tiles. 

Reiner gave him a side glance before they pushed through the double doors of the emergency room, and spotted Bertolt, wiping the blood clean from his fingers. The other soldier stood straight when they entered, and uncertainty filled his gaze as they walked past. The curtains were drawn close over one gurney, as the sound of a heart monitor beeped in a steady rhythm. “We removed the bullets, and the helmet of his LifeLine gear so that operating on him would be easier,” Reiner explained while Levi pulled back the curtains, and his eyes would’ve bulged out of its sockets and felt his heart raced. Sprawled on the bed, with his back freshly wrapped in bandages, Levi watched as the man’s bronze skin stood in contrast to the white sheets. 

“This isn’t Eren Kruger,” Levi mumbled, as the three of them stared at the sleeping form of Eren Yeager lied on the gurney.


	19. First Contact

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiya everyone, welcome back to LifeLine! I am officially back to office work life, and it's been really busy this month. We are finally going to get some Levi x Eren moments. After so many chapters have gone by. I know this was freakishly slow built, but we are here. Song for the chapter is “Starsky” by Two Steps from Hell. Fun fact, this is also the song that inspired me to write this story down. Thank you so much for really sticking around for LifeLIne. 
> 
> I’ve actually hesitated to share this story because most of the stories I’ve read on Ao3 are relationship heavy, and I’ve written plot-heavy stories and character-driven tales...so yeah, I placed this entire two plots on the back burner of ideas I had last year. Starsky really became, no pun intended, the main Lifeline of Eren and Levi’s dynamics. Truth be told, this chapter as a whole is part of a prequel story of LifeLine. Though wholly needed for you guys to understand how the original plot influenced the story at the present. Yes, the story is intricate in the plot. And I hope I didn’t make this particular chapter too dull because I mixed part of the prequel (though I had the point of view shifted from Levi to Eren’s) in it. I’ll also leave a question at the end of the chapter regarding the future of this story in general. Anyways, Game, Set, and Enjoy!  
-Dee

_ 3 years ago _

Eren stared at the blank document in front of his screen for several long minutes before giving up on writing a report entirely. If there was nothing even remotely interesting or factual to say, the King, and the King’s nephew would only give him an incredulous look for how lousy his espionage task was done. Eren leaned back on his seat and closed his eyes. What did he know about Levi Ackerman? For the past month, he’d only drawn known basic knowledge on the captain. The man was in his late twenties, immigrated to Marley at seventeen, born and raised in Eldia, however, little documentation was recorded of him. If Eren had asked Erwin or even Hannes to help with his digging, he might’ve found something peculiar. Mikasa only knew small tidbits of her own cousin, but beyond that, Eren took drastic measures.

He wrote up a proposal to Erwin on the co-training program with the Marleyans. After a mountain of paperwork, and having them signed over to the higher-ups, Eren sat down with his friends in the Mess Hall with his own tray of food. The low growling of his stomach only amplified the hunger of running around between the Survey Corp’s headquarters to finalize the route for the next expedition in the coming two weeks. Most of the Marleyans ate in their own huddled group at the far end table near the door. While some kept to themselves, Eren did get to know three of the Marleyan soldiers that were roomed closer to the dormitories of the scouts. 

Connie looped one arm over Eren’s shoulders and gave a huge cheeky grin. “It’s been a while since I’ve seen your face here in the Mess hall, Yeager. Where have you been?” Eren moved his spoon around the bowl of soap in front of him, not particularly hungry with all the thoughts in his mind. There was still the expedition to plan, which he wasn’t too eager to be a part of. 

King Rowan also insisted that he kept a close eye on Levi Ackerman. As the king had told him over the phone. “He was raised by Kenny Ackerman, a known figure in the underground black market for drugs and illegal firearms. Until now, we are still unable to capture him.” By law, Levi Ackerman should’ve been brought into questioning since he had direct connections to his criminal uncle, however, he gave up his Eldian citizenship for Marley, making him a foreigner, and under the Marleyan court of law. The other problem he had, was how Levi Ackerman barely sits or wants to be with anyone. Eren sighs, and placed his spoon down before crossing his arms. 

“I’ve been busy in the library.” He admitted the only place where he could have peace is when he and Historia were hunched over a worktable and finding a path for the troops through Colossal Peaks. Jean snorted on the other side of the table, beside Marco, unlike the rest of them, Jean and Marco weren’t in uniform and were in just a pair of sweatpants and hoodies with the Scout’s emblem on the back. The two had just finished their training session with the maneuver gear in the woods with Hannes. 

Jean took a long gulp of his iced sweet tea and nudged Marco playfully. “Get a load of this guy, all-mighty Scout, and the King’s personal lackey is doing nothing but moping in the library for days now.” He picked up a piece of his french fry and dipped it in ketchup. “Since Marco and I are part of the early morning routines, we often see the Marleyans train as well.” He said and tossed the food in his mouth before pointing to Eren. “That other Yeager, Zeke, he’s the top dog, but most of the other soldiers worship the soil that Levi Ackerman walks on.”

Besides him, Marco rolled his eyes but glanced at Eren seriously. “He’s strong though, Zeke would push Levi onto the sparring field and teach their cadets on fighting with a weapon and disarming. Levi has skills alright.” 

“Skills like Mikasa,” Jean admitted and gave a sheepish look at her right beside Eren. Mikasa barely even reacted or seemed interested in the topic since she was too busy with eating the custard dessert in front of her. Though, for an arrogant person like Jean to say someone being able to match Mikasa on fighting made him curious as well.

Eren recalled the lightning-quick movements that Levi displayed on the stables. He hadn’t been able to find someone who could match his speed, but with Levi, if Eren wasn’t careful, he could’ve injured the man if he had acted on his full reflexes. Mikasa had stayed close and persisted with Eren teaching her how to fight. Ever since the time Eren defended her from bullies in school, Mikasa never backed down until Eren taught her how to be faster than the enemy. “I’d like to see who’d win in a fight though,” Connie grinned and patted Eren on the back. “Eren Yeager versus Levi Ackerman.”

“I’d like to see that as well.” Connie and Jean flinched and abruptly stood up when Erwin Smith casually walked toward them. From Eren’s peripheral, he noticed how Levi’s eyes were also glued to their table. The Raven’s gunmetal eyes seemed almost bright and dangerous even though his entire body appeared relaxed. Levi held the teacup along the cup's rim, with his fingertips, a strange manner of sipping tea. The rest of the scouts in other tables began to take notice that the Commander was in the Mess Hall, and kept the conversations at a low murmur of excitement. If there’s anything to go by, even the Marleyans from another table just close to Levi took notice. Eren leaned back on his seat, and nodded in acknowledgment to Erwin, more on to respect the man’s rank in the military. 

Erwin wore his Survey Corp’s uniform, with the bolo tie along his collar to show his rank. A confident smile remained plastered on his face, more on formality purposes. “I’ve been talking with Zeke yesterday, about having a joint training exercise with the top five cadets of the Survey Corps.” He practically beamed down at Eren and his friends, but even behind the words, he could make out the hidden message commander eyebrows wanted to convey. “_ Play along, and try to get closer with them, and Levi specifically.” _ Erwin just gave him an opening, and it was up to him to do the rest. 

Sasha, who was inhaling her mashed potatoes and steak, paused with a spoon half-way to her mouth at the mention of the joint training exercise. Even Connie paled at the thought. Armin fidgeted in his seat while keeping his head low. If anything, his best friend’s reaction could either be out of wanting to dig a way out of fighting physically stronger opponents or hiding the blush that crept from his face, all the way up to the tips of his ears whenever Erwin came even within ten steps near them. “When will these training exercises start?” Eren finally relented and noticed the smug expressions and excited whispers from the Marleyans.

It was no doubt that if it were based on physical built, and stature, Eren and his friends around the table were leaner and less intimidating than half of the brutish bodies from the Marleyan table. Of course, brute strength didn’t necessarily mean a sure victory. Erwin grinned, and patted Eren on the shoulder, before placing his big hands in his pockets. From the double doors of the Mess Hall, Zeke Yeager waved for Erwin to come over. He couldn’t help but be purely surprised by how fast Erwin befriended Zeke. “Later in the afternoon, at 3pm, the first sparring session will happen at the pit,” Erwin announced and leaned closer to Eren’s ear. “Play nice, we need to gain their trust and have them interact more with us.” Erwin reminded him before catching up with Zeke and the two acted like long lost college frat brothers on their way to a party. 

Eren watched with his mouth hanging open at the sight. “Do you think you and Levi would ever act like that.” Armin teased, and Eren laughed and shook his head. He took his spoon again and finally dug into his lunch. The thought of being even close friends with the stoic faced Raven was the last thing he could imagine. In fact, Eren couldn’t even picture being remotely enjoying a conversation with Levi. The man reminded him so much of the emotionless guardians from the sanctuary that did nothing fun but breathe and sneer at anyone who behaved badly within the holy grounds. 

News about the joint training exercises spread like wildfire through the entire compound. For the past week, the Marleyans trained separately from the Scouts that, it would be the first time that any action between the two groups would finally happen. Many of the Scouts were curious about how vastly different the strengths were between the top five cadets of Keith Shadis’s recent graduates, and the five powerhouse soldiers that Willy Tybur hand-picked from the legion soldiers from the Capitol in Marley. Aside from a name basis, Eren knew most of the top five under Zeke’s direct command. Reiner Braun, Annie Leonheart, and Bertolt Hoover were three of the soldiers that were the same age range as Armin, and Mikasa. They scored the highest in the 72nd batch of cadets in Marley, and Zeke had high hopes for them. The other two soldiers, Pieke, and Marcel Galliard were part of the Warrior regiment squadron together with Levi Ackerman. Counting Levi out of the group, the five who Eren could guest would be sparing him and his friends.

By the time that Eren had just changed into a loose beige shirt and sweatpants, the entire hallways were buzzing with bets being made, and money exchanged for the sparring session. Thomas and Hange held the reins of the shenanigans. Gambling wasn’t fully allowed within the Survey Corps, but most of the high ranking generals and even Erwin turned a blind eye toward the excitement. When Eren had first come out as the King’s Sword, and Knight, many had doubted him, until he displayed his skills on the pit. Back then, Erwin was still a cadet, and Hange hadn’t begun her full devotion of being glued to him to know the “secrets” of the Nephelim. Eren was just about to hold for the Armory, to get one of the regular sparring swords when a huge crowd started to pile for the pit.

“What the heck?” Eren muttered as he beheld the long queue of soldiers towards the pit. The pit, in question, was a large circular courtyard with wooden bleachers that encircled it, enough to seat over a hundred and fifty people. On occasions, the Survey Corps would convert the pit to a graduation rites field for new recruits. A huge bonfire would be lit at the center of the pit, and everyone would get wasted and drunk all night. However, for regular days, the pit’s arena was for weapons training and sword combat. It was the old fashion to fight with the standard Eldian single-edged blades, it held tradition to carry them when on expeditions. On the pit, it held the same fiery energy that Eren thrived to feel.

King Rowan and Erwin often didn’t like him sparring with the cadets since the incident with having to replace the sparring swords and placing a lot of bruised up soldiers to the infirmary. “You need to learn to control your strengths.” Hannes and Shadis often lectured, until ultimately coming to the decision to ban Eren from entering the Pit for combat. From the arched entryway, Hange kept shouting for the audience to form a single line, when she spotted Eren. 

“EREEEEEN! Look at the crowd! Show them a good whooping of midget ass!” She shrieked, but Eren briskly walked away and pretended he didn’t hear a single word from the madwoman. It wasn’t long until the murmurs of his name echoed through the line. In the Armory, the Scout on duty, Thomas, sat behind the oak table counter, polishing pieces of a maneuver gear, when his head lifted and waved Eren over. 

Thomas smelled like sandalwood, and oil, from all the time he spent on Armory duty the past month. After his failed test with fighting on a horse, Shadis placed him on equipment maintenance since he broke his leg from falling off his horse and misfiring his hooks. “The man of the hour, and I was starting to think you’d not come.” He teased, and slid the pieces of the gear to one side, as Eren made his way toward him. The Armory held most of the guns, and fuel tanks for the gear, but also other weapons like their sparring swords, and clay bullets for target practice. 

Eren’s eyes went to the clipboard hanging onto the side of the counter, where an inventory of the weapons borrowed from the room was kept. He scanned the names and was surprised that only Levi came to collect the weapons for himself. “No other Marleyan came to get their sparring sword or gun?” He inquired while placing his ID on the counter for Thomas to register in his own logbook.

“Hmm? Nope,” Thomas said and moved toward the back room separated by a thin curtain to grab some of the things Eren needed. “Orders from Captain Zeke, only Levi goes into the Pit.” 

“What? I thought the top five from both sides would be fighting?” Eren’s eyes continued to go down the list, and sure enough, only his, Mikasa, Connie, Sasha, and Jean were on the list for taking two Eldian swords each, along with Levi. “He’s not planning to fight all of us right?” The thought of it just increased the arrogance the man had. Did the Marleyans really look down on them that much? 

Thomas walked back into the room, with a couple of blades and serrated gripped handles attached on one end. Placing both of them on the counter, Eren picked up one of the swords in his left hand and still didn’t feel satisfied with the weight of the sword. The Eldian Military swords, by standard, were far too light, and easy enough to snap in two when placed in a certain amount of pressure on the swing. He wished to fight using the sword safely tucked away back in Sina’s castle. No matter how much distance Eren placed between the sword, that magnetic pull was still there. It sang to his very soul to wield, but it would only do more harm to the rest of the scouts than good. Thomas reminded him, _ not _ to shatter the blades, in which Eren only gave a lopsided smile, and promised not to wreck it too soon. A big “if” however, if he were really going to step on the arena.

“You took your sweet time,” Jean commented as he sat on one of the wooden benches outside of the white chalked outline of the arena. The horse-faced soldier had placed a padded breastplate, and leather arm guard that looped from his wrist to elbow. While the sparring blades had a single edge that was lethal in contact, a rubber sleeve was placed over the edge to protect both the attacker and opponent. Each slice of the blade would only leave a neon coloring along with the clothes and skin of the person. It didn’t minimize the damage however, being hacked by an Eldian blade still stung, but at least the injuries wouldn’t lead anyone to the decapitation of limbs. 

Eren foregone any of the plated armor since entering the locker room to drop his sneakers and changed into the steel-toed boots that lace up until his mid-thigh. He plopped down next to Mikasa, geared similarly as Jean, while Connie and Sasha, fidgeted to the other end of the long bench next to Jean. “I got held up.” Eren nodded toward Keith Shadis, the official referee of the open sparring session. As the top-ranking officer for cadet training, and Survey Corps head of Shiganshina, the man oversaw not just the training of fresh recruits but also grading them as deemed fit for excursions outside the walls of Eldia for fifteen years now. 

In the locker room, Shadis stood by the doorframe and frowned at Eren’s eagerness for some action. The man lifted his hand toward him, palm lay flat as it usually did whenever he silently asked for any items found of worth to be confiscated. “I was told to fight in the field, Sir.” Eren immediately countered, refusing to give his blades, but Shadis’ sets his lips into a firm line and shook his head.

“Too dangerous, Yeager, these are our guests, even if the King and Erwin himself order it. I will not have you fight and possibly injure our foreign guests.” Then, for the briefest of the moment, Shadis’ eyes flickered with a hint of fear and stepped closer to Eren. “I will not have you endangering my country by being what you truly are once you set foot across that line in the dirt.” He hissed, and without hesitation, confiscating the two swords from the sheath, because as always, Eren held back. He had to follow their laws if he wished to retain his freedom...but did he really feel free?

Mikasa quickly took note of his growing sour mood and would’ve asked what bothered him, if it weren’t plainly factual that he had nothing on him except the clothes on his back. On the other side of the Arena, Levi sat at the far end of the bench, with Marcel, Annie, Reiner, and Bertolt. On the bleachers, the soldiers, and even some of the civilians from the city came to watch. Not just for the rare occasions of an open session courtesy of the Survey Corps, but also a welcoming show of the Marleyan party to Eldia. Media reporters were on stand-by in a booth just under the raised podium where the ranking officers from both Military parties sat. Zeke and Erwin were right next to each other, appearing more like facilitators of a modern-day gladiator fight. 

“Aww man,” Connie laughed and clasped his shaking hands together to feel less nervous while giving sideways glances toward the rolling cameras. “I hope my entire family isn’t tuning in. I hate to get my ass whooped on live TV,” he stated and then leaned closer to Sasha, who promptly tossed some bits of trail mix snacks to her mouth. “Aren’t you the least bit nervous? Those Marleyan dudes look twice our size! Well, except for Annie and Levi, but those two can glare us to death.”

Sasha shrugged her shoulders and patted the top of Connie’s head, which the other male immediately brushed away. “You could have just told Commander Erwin that you didn’t want to fight. That saves the trouble of surrendering in front of the people.” 

“I can’t! Think about the extra credit this will go into my report! Plus, when none of you all backed down, I couldn’t say no.” 

“Sure you can, and then they’ll place Armin on your seat,” Jean said back with a grin. Any other comments about the possible fights were hushed as Erwin stood up and went to the dais at the center of the podium. All eyes turned to the man with the charismatic smile and starking blue eyes that held the crowd’s full attention.

“Welcome everyone,” He began and then turned his head toward the Marleyans seated on the other end of the arena. The dozen other soldiers in the beige uniforms and Marleyan armbands sat in a huddled group behind Levi’s group, on the stands. “To our Marleyan guests, thank you for flying all the way to our small island kingdom, as an envoy of building a stronger bond between our two nations.” Erwin placed both of his hands on the dais and continued. “Today, we mark a new first for our king, and on behalf of our great ruler, King Rowan Fritz, we shall enjoy this impressive performance of wit and strategy in direct combat!”

The roar of the audience sent shivers down Eren’s entire body, as their loud voices seemed strong enough to shake the very earth beneath his feet. “The challenge is simple. Disarming your opponent means victory, or the first person to pin their opponent to the ground for longer than ten counts wins, the winning challenger shall then fight the next fighter, until there is none left to challenge him or her.” Erwin turned toward Eren’s side of the pit. “If one of the players stepped off the perimeter ring on the arena, that person is automatically disqualified.”

Suddenly, from the sidelines, Zeke cleared his throat, and Erwin half turned to the general that sat casually on the plush chair with an ornate backrest of dark wood. “One minor altercation to this fight, Erwin, is that I chose who will be the first from my soldiers to fight.” He said politely, with a glint of mischief in his smile.

It then occurred to Eren that just like him, the rest of the soldiers from Zeke’s party wore no armor or carried weapons. Thomas’s statement from earlier made sense, none of them except Levi Ackerman was going on the pit. Zeke was confident in the man’s skills and ready to humiliate Erwin for beating all of the top cadets under Erwin’s command in front of live television. Another part of him wondered however if Zeke had other ulterior motives? Did Zeke know what Eren was? No, outside of Eldia, the Nephilim race had been nothing more than just myths and tall tales, they couldn’t possibly know Eren’s true identity. As his thoughts ran rampant, he nearly jumped when Jean clapped his shoulder and stood.

“Wish me luck,” Jean muttered and stepped over the white line. Levi already stood at the center of the arena, just a few meters away from Jean. Enough distance to defend or attack each other. Levi’s permanent scowl looked more apparent as if he’d rather not fight Jean at all. Eren wanted nothing more but to wipe that disinterested look on his face. If not for the chiding tone of Shadis that repeated like a mantra in his brain, he would’ve marched right back to the locker room and headed straight for Shadis’s office in the Arena. He’d be bound to find his confiscated blades and jump into the fight himself. 

“He is so gonna lose,” Connie muttered, and Eren didn’t want to voice out his own thoughts on the matter. He’d seen first hand how fast Levi was. The match with Jean didn’t even last five minutes, before the elder man twisted the swords from Jean’s grip with a direct hit near the grip, causing him to drop the blades. Resting just inches from Jean’s throat was the tip of Levi’s blade. The entire audience watched in awed silence at how quick the fight ended. Jean was skilled with the swords and could manage well in hand-to-hand combat. What Jean lacked for speed, he makes up for his techniques to disarm the opponent. In this case, he didn’t even have time to study Levi’s movements.

The color drained from Jean’s face as he stood there, stunned, and defenseless, before slowly lifting his arms in surrender. From the podium, Erwin’s eyes weren’t on Levi, but on Eren. The silent agreement they both held at the moment. Levi was the number one threat out of all of them. “It looks like you’d be jumping into the fire alright,” Sasha said, as Jean stumbled and nearly tripped on his way back to the bleachers. Connie’s name was called up, and if it weren’t embarrassing in front of the crowd, Eren would guess that his friend would’ve started to pee his pants than faced Levi.

Unlike Jean, Connie had speed on his side. As soon as the bell rang for the fight to start, Connie immediately leaped high enough to avoid the direct attack of Levi. Before joining the Survey Corps, Connie came from a family of professional gymnasts and runners. He’d grown up honing his abilities to rely on his slim built and stature for combat than sportsmanship. “I’d want to make my mom proud and rank somewhere high on the military.” Connie once mentioned to Eren at their dorm room. Connie’s uncle, a renowned Olympic runner died from suicide after being kicked out of the Eldian Olympic team from using steroids to earn a place in the team. Since then, his mother fell into depression at how the media painted Connie’s uncle badly for his drug addiction and obsession with winning. On the field, or even during training, Connie worked twice as hard, to earn the third spot in the top five cadets. He had a great tactic to leaping in and out of the reach of Levi’s blades. If the blades won’t touch you, they can’t harm you, but a major flaw in the tactic became plainly obvious. 

“He’s being backed to a corner,” Eren muttered under his breath and crossed his arms. Beside him, Mikasa nodded. The audience cheered for Connie, in a blind sense of accomplishment. Levi slashed, and charged at Connie as they continued to edge closer to the borderline. If the nimble man noticed the pattern, there was no way out of the relentless swing of Levi’s single sword. Sweat beaded the side of Connie’s face, and not too sooner, did he make a mistake. Just as Connie aimed to land with his right foot, Levi struck with a roundhouse kick that sent the younger man sprawling across the arena’s borderline. 

“Out!” Shadis yelled, and the crowd went wild. Connie laid on the dirt, spread eagle, his shirt soaked in sweat, and breathing hard from the number of times he’d tried to dodge a confrontation with Levi. 

“That man’s a beast.” Jean shook his head and took a huge gulp of water, while one of the medics rushed to Connie’s side to make sure he was okay. From the podium, Zeke leaned back on his chair, not even remotely surprised by the Raven’s victory. Erwin on the other hand, observed Levi a lot more critically, as he lazily walked back to the center. Sasha didn’t so much as to stand from the bench when she surrendered, earning her a lot of negative booing from the soldiers behind them. If it were a fight of aim, Sasha would have had an advantage using a gun or arrows, but as it is, Sasha ranks low on hand-to-hand fighting. That left Mikasa to stand in the ring. Heated glares were thrown between the two Ackermans as they circled around each other before Mikasa opted for the first strike. 

Mikasa strikes like a viper after her mice, and the viciousness of her attacks did earn Levi to be surprised but quickly adjusted his fighting style to slash at any openings Mikasa had. “You’d need these,” Sasha shoved her blades to Eren from behind Jean’s back. Eren couldn’t help the grin that spread on his face, as he gladly accepted Sasha’s swords. On the field, Levi had a small struggle with the dance-like movement of Mikasa’s. From the sideline, Eren watched Mikasa’s form critically, she kept her arms too straight, then angled as she fought with both blades, it made her middle open to attacks and back much too unguarded. Eren wanted to shout at her to keep her stance secured, but Mikasa tried too hard to imitate his style. Levi was challenged on pouncing at her directly because she kept on a circular motion, never pausing on a single position, and hard to strike back, but the man found the weak links on the movement, and even though Levi also struggled to hold both blades. Eren observed how he favored his left hand more than the right. Eventually, Levi managed to hit the dull edge of the sword to Mikasa’s side, she winced, and momentarily stood still.

“Checkmate,” Eren muttered, just as Levi charged in and using all of his weight to pin Mikasa to the ground, the side of the sword angled just touching her throat. The two ravens were both breathing hard, but Mikasa being more winded and exhausted of the two accepted her defeat. The soldiers clapped and whistled at the fight, that while it lasted minutes longer than Connie, it still made some of the Eldian generals sweat with the power behind a single fighting soldier of Marley. The cadets from the Marleyan party already began to chant Levi’s name, but the Raven didn’t even pay them any notice. In fact, the man’s eyes zeroed in on Eren.

An intensity settled on the liquid silver eyes that challenged him to step on the Arena. From the podium, Erwin nodded his consent, even though Shadis still glared daggers at him from the referee’s chair. “_ Restrain yourself. _” The man’s words still echoed within him, and Eren frowned at the heaviness and heat from the brass cuffs that encircled his wrists. He kept them relatively hidden under the sleeves of his shirts, and even with only the leather arm guards on, the glint of the metal still catches the light. He stood just as Mikasa made her way back to her seat. Eren gave her a reassuring smile and patted the top of her head as he stepped into the pit. The audience became even livelier as Eren stood directly before Levi. The man had trails of sweat rolling down his face and neck, but his breathing remained stable, and no signs of fatigue even after four consecutive fights. 

“Still ready to fight, old man?” Eren taunted, and shifted his right foot and widened his stance. Levi only lifted the corner of his mouth in a subtle smirk. He held a sword in both hands, but Eren noted how unsure Levi was with the serrated grip, and how he pointed the swords away from his body, the complete opposite of how Eren let the sword on his right hand to angle in a way that the sword’s dull edge rested from his forearm up to his shoulder. The other blade, held on a reverse grip, but pointed as if it were an extension of Eren’s left arm. 

“Here I thought you’d be hiding behind Erwin’s skirts like a chicken,” Levi said back and tightened his hold on the swords. “Let’s see what you truly got, brat.” At the sound of the signal. Levi rushed in, but Eren already anticipated the direction of his attack.

Eren spun on the heel of his right foot and twisted in a whole 180 turn, as Levi’s sword made contact with the blade that guarded Eren’s back mid-spin. Eren quickly lashed back with his left sword, striking Levi directly on his shoulder. The neon guard of the blade made contact with Levi’s shoulder, and the man grunted at the strike that painted a stark green color on his left. Levi didn’t even have the time to properly defend himself as Eren finished the sequence by kicking the Raven square on his stomach. Eren made sure to soften the blow to avoid any internal damage, but it still sent Levi back a good few feet. The Raven nearly staggered, as he dropped one sword to clutch his middle. From the podium, Zeke tensed, and Erwin leaned forward on his chair. 

To Eren’s amazement, Levi laughed and picked up his dropped weapon. “Finally,” was all Levi said, before crouching low and charging at Eren again. Their swords clashed, two steel weapons that sang a song of war. That hungered for something more than bloodshed. Eren felt his heart racing and his limbs wanting to go all out as the man still managed to keep surprising him. Levi fought with no particular mastery with weapons. Yet there was a fire in his eyes, the same flame he last saw a thousand years ago. A fire that burned and resonated within him. It wasn’t just that desire to win this fight. Eren kept Levi on his toes. While the raven had become familiar with the fluid motion that Mikasa displayed earlier, it did nothing to prepare Levi for the dance that Eren knew by heart.

Eren spun in circles around Levi, slicing, parring, and striking whenever the Raven tried to defend himself. Where Mikasa held her swords far from her body. Eren held one close and the other angled to strike in the same motion of each turn he took. It gave Levi the challenge not just to counter the angled blade, but also tried to block the sudden rush of the parallel blade that Eren held close to his arm. Levi didn’t make it easier for Eren either. The man manages to go through his defenses, trying vainly to trip Eren’s legs or strike directly at his head. Eren would duck, sidestepped, or even pivot out of Levi’s reach. All the time, he thought, just how much fire Levi had. If he were given proper training with swords, if Levi and he had met all those years ago, maybe it would have made such dance all the more enjoyable. He couldn’t put it into words yet, what Levi was trying to coaxing him into doing.

As their fight stretched far longer under the sun, until both of them were covered in sweat, and the crowd awaited in bathed breaths. Levi finally grew frustrated. The floodgates were wide open and Eren finally saw the raw emotion of anger in Levi’s face. In an instance, Levi became dangerously close to Eren. Slashing and blocking Eren’s blades, enough to pin them aside. Their arms locked in a silent battle of strength. In Eren’s case, he refused to use the full extremes of his power on rivaling Levi’s. Then, Levi whispered threateningly against Eren’s ear. “Don’t mock me like I’m something breakable, fight me like an equal, Yeager.”

Something within Eren snapped, he saw flashes from the dark crevices of his mind. How he fought against the chains that held him back. The pain that seared whenever he wanted to defy those that kept him caged. _ Restrain yourself _ . Those words never changed whenever he held the sword. _ No _. He thought, and Eren readjusted his grip on both swords. Agony flared against his wrists, but he gritted his teeth and pushed past that limit. Levi’s swords wavered, and Eren roared. Locking his blades between Levi’s two swords, Eren twisted, until Levi was forced to drop one blade. Hissing a curse, Levi shoved Eren away, but Eren wouldn’t relent. Eren struck back at Levi in a flurry of movement, He alternated his form -strike, spin, parry, and kick to breakthrough-, and through it all. The Raven still manages to match his sequence.

In the briefest of time, Eren saw a genuine smile on Levi’s face, even without words, Eren understood that he held respect for him. That whatever the outcome of the duel, they both felt alive than they ever had before. “Thank you,” Eren said under his breath and saw the fracture on Levi’s blade before he did. He lunged, and in a single blow, Eren brought his sword down hard along with the stress of Levi’s blade. The sword shattered and fell to the dirt in sharded pieces. Before Levi could comprehend on using his other blade. Eren tackled him to the ground. In a tangle of limbs, they rolled on the dirt. Until Eren finally pinned Levi’s sword arm away from him and planted both of his knees on either side of Levi. The two of them were breathing hard, and adrenaline finally ebbing away from Eren’s body. Eren won, and though he knew the outcome, he was still shocked. However, he didn’t expect Levi to grab the front of his shirt and pulled him close. Their faces just inches from each other that Eren could nearly taste the breath that puffed out from Levi’s lips just centimeters away from his. “No, I win,” Levi whispered, and shoved, Eren off him, the force being strong enough to push the breath out of Eren’s lungs, and Levi was quickly on top of him. The remaining sword on Levi’s right hand hovered dangerously close to Eren’s windpipe.

The Arena became deadly silent and lost in surprise. Eren stared up at the man on top of him. His hair was a disheveled mess, and their breathing was far from normal, but Eren felt the warmth of his hands on him and was dazed with how alive he truly felt. Eventually, Eren’s laugh broke the silent spell around them, and even Levi blinked in surprise before easing away, enough for Eren to sit up and acknowledge his defeat. “Fine, you won.” He admitted, and from the referee’s stand, Shadis snapped out of his own shock and declared Levi Ackerman the winner. At first, the audience didn’t react, as if the entire process of the fight still didn’t register in their brains, but as soon as Armin, and Eren’s friends began clapping. The cheers escalated, and even Eren managed a weak clap of his hands. Thoroughly impressed with how Levi outwitted him in the end.

Erwin smiled from the podium, not even upset by the outcome, but Zeke looked downright furious at Levi, for a reason that confused Eren until Levi helped him stand up while the soldiers on the bleachers continued to shout their names. It has been years since Eren had a rival, and the very thought kept the smile plastered on his face. Beside him, Levi nudged his shoulder slightly. “Next time, teach me how to properly hold a sword. I was shitty.” Levi said, and Eren couldn’t help but laugh at the statement, while his friends and some of the other Marleyan soldiers rushed forward. Somehow, the fight lowered the invisible line that separated the two parties. Maybe, there was hope in trusting them. 

“Yeah, your form was bad, but you’re a good fighter,” Eren remarked, while Levi just shrugged his shoulders. “I just fight to survive.”

And that’s when Eren finally realized why he felt drawn to Levi during their spar. The man fought with everything he had. Like him, Eren wanted to feel alive. 

***

When Eren woke up, he laid on his front, and the smell of antiseptics filled his nose. The last thing he recalled was shielding the tall humanoid robot. His body just moving on autopilot, even though it was a machine, and not even an ally, Eren made sure it wasn’t damaged. Eren tried to roll onto his back but pain flared through his body, that he groaned, and felt cold metal pressed on his lower back. He turned, and the same human-robot stood on the side of his bed. Eren paused and tried to relax. Without his gear, he couldn’t identify the player. But if his hunch was right, “You’re Kenny Ackerman, right?”

Eren felt his mouth so dry, that his voice only came as a hoarse whisper. The robot stepped back and Eren noted that the LifeLine gear sat on the bedside table, along with a few pills of painkillers. He didn’t know where his comrades were, but at the very least, he wasn’t dead, so it was a plus one for him. The robot pulled out a pen and clipboard of paper from the sofa and began writing something down on it, before showing it to Eren.

_ This robot’s name is Kenny Ackerman, but my name isn’t. You’re not Eren Kruger either. _ Eren sighed, and the blank black mask betrayed nothing of any emotions, which irritated him. 

“No, I’m not Kruger,” Eren admitted, but still wary of the robot next to him. The thing at least had the decency to personal space and settled on the chair near the bedside table. The robot flipped the piece of paper on the clipboard and began to write something again. _ Eren Yeager then, I’m Levi Ackerman. _Eren froze, and stared at the robot, still unsure whether to trust it’s words or not. It could still be one of Zeke’s tricks, but if it were, he would’ve been bound and gag on the next trip to Marley. Still a small part of him wanted to believe, the thing in front of him was someone he fought with and came to slowly love over time.

“Prove it.” Eren dared, and simply just hoped that this new meeting wouldn’t be as disastrous as the first time he and Levi finally spoke on friendly terms. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Glad you all made it this far! So um some other announcements. Since it was actually a blast to write a tidbit part of the prequel's story of LifeLine. I planned to write the Prequel of LifeLine after I am done with this story. That is if you guys are want to know more about Levi before his amnesia, or the whole messy war of Marley and Eldia. Lemme know your thoughts. As always, thank you for continuously following this story. Also, stay safe wherever you are. I know the world is going crazy right now, and a lot of things are messed up but know that you are special. Black Lives do Matter and be proud of who you are. Also, it is June, so Happy Pride Month as well. ^_^. See you all on the next update!


	20. The Truth About Kruger

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! Welcome back to LifeLine! I am really grateful for the feedback from the last chapter, even though it dealt a lot more in the past than the present. I know I hadn’t been that active last month. So sorry, between work and a ton of activities that I’ve committed toward last month, I honestly found less time to write for LifeLine. As um usual, the chapter isn't edited yet, really sorry for that. At any rate, we are still staying in the past -somewhat, here is the chapter we’ve somewhat waited for? Things will be answered in this chapter, so brace for a ton of info dumping, but we’d get back in the game soon.  
-Dee

“Prove it,” Eren challenged him, and Levi came at a complete loss. The second he heard Eren spoke, it was as if a jolt of electricity coursed through his body. He’d only ever heard that voice in his dreams, but to listen to the same voice at the present.

A part of Levi wanted to reach out and hold Eren, just to prove he was real, or as real as the game would allow it. Reiner and the rest of his squad went back to the recovery ward to try and get as much needed rest as they could. Braun didn’t have to say it, but the moment they confirmed it was definitely Eren Yeager that they saved from the bullet wounds, they gave him the much-needed privacy. The communication line from Marley had gone quiet, and the idle status lit up on the upper left corner of Levi’s screen. Since they’ve all settled into the hospital, it was Bertolt that noticed the mission status banner on their side screen. It was just a short message from Hanji, “Tybur, and Djel never came back after they took Grisha with them...aside Colt and I, a few technical personnel are left in the function room to monitor the players. As far as we can tell, the camera feed is on pause, we can’t see you but definitely hear every word.”

“I see,” Levi had never felt more restricted than the situation they were in. He could move the arms of the sleek, and silver machine of a body, and turn his head on the same range of vision as if he were truly there. Some parts of Levi wanted to kick himself at not noticing sooner that the game really did took place in Eldia. He should’ve remembered the faces of the soldiers he hacked through with their own weapons or even recognized the familiar sceneries and walls he’d seen during his childhood with Kenny whenever he’d bring him to Trost for his business.

He once learned about mental conditioning during the times he’d hung out in the small library back at the base camp of Marley. The author remained under the pen name “Oliver Whitlock Lewis,” wrote about how the key to deception was to have people condition to believe one reality to steer them away from the truth. Hanji made Levi and the rest of the Marleyans believed that the game’s conditions and terrain were all CGI and data. Even when some of the intricate of the details would’ve been plainly questionable, Hanji ran it through the scientific defenses to avoid Djel and Tybur from probing too deeply into the nature of the program. Until now.

“It won’t be safe to talk to Eren then, nor he speaks to me either,” Levi told Hanji back, while he stared at the unconscious form on the gurney. The blanket covered most of his lower half, and clean bandages wrapped around Eren’s entire torso and diagonally from his left shoulder to the right hip. Levi waited for the blood to still seep into the white linens however, even after fifteen minutes, Eren’s face wasn’t ashen as it had been during the manic ride to the hospital.

“Don’t worry too much about us, Sir,” Colt’s voice came through the receiver, and Levi didn’t make much comment on how his voice wavered. By sunrise, the game resets, and all eyes were on whether he could assassinate Erwin or not. “Just..” Colt paused for a moment, before adding, “Keep my brother safe okay? Hanji and I will try our best to calibrate the game, but there are too many variables in the system that’s different from our module program. We don’t know what will happen if you die in the game.”

“But please try to avoid doing so, Levi!” Hanji quickly interjected. As far as privacy concerns, the scientists that were supposed to keep an eye on Colt and Hanji fell asleep but restrained them to bolted chairs with minimal movement. The madwoman tried to lighten the mood by commenting on how pee breaks were going to be a pain. Hanji and Colt were provided with enough mobility to type away on the keyboard but had to be escorted to the restroom to take a shit or pee. “You can have some semblance of rest, Levi.” Hanji added more seriously, once Levi realized he had zoned out while staring at Eren.”

“I’d wait for him first,” He answered immediately, though a part of him just wanted to confirm if he were the same person that fleeted through his dreams. As creepy as it appeared for the past half hour, all Levi did was commit Eren’s entire being to memory. Hoping that by staring at him long enough, it would jog his memory. Now, he faced bright jade eyes that held wary apprehension and wonder directed at him.

Tentatively, even though Hanji promised that their conversation was muted, Levi continued to write his words down on pen and paper rather than voicing them. “ _ I honestly don’t know how to prove it to you _ .  _ I don’t even remember much of what happened here three years ago.” _ By the time I finished writing, Eren briefly passed his eyes over the words and frowned.

The brunette tried to sit up and winced but otherwise, Levi was amazed by how he quickly recovered his strength after having his back peppered with bullet wounds. “I heal fast,” Eren explained as if the question was bound to come up. He regarded Levi with his entire body tensed as if waiting for Levi to pounce on him if he moved the wrong way. Everyone was on edge, in fact, if Levi had placed himself on Eren’s shoes, he’d definitely be doubtful as well. A machine, with virtually no face and monotonous voice, was hard to distinguish between friend or foe. The silence that stretched between them only further irritated him. How would he prove it to this kid that he is who he says he is?

Eren cleared his throat, and pulled his legs up closer to his body and crossed them. Levi noted how his dark pants were ripped along the knees and thighs. A fine layer of dust and grime covered most of his legs and the green cloak that Reiner stripped from him. “Can I have something to drink?” Eren mumbled, and a thought occurred to Levi that he quickly wrote down on paper.

“ _ Do you want some tea?” _ Eren gave a non-committal shrug, but Levi quickly got up on his feet and hoped that whatever deity there was watching over them, that they won’t fuck him over and return to have Eren slip away from him again. Levi went out of the room, and retraced his steps toward the cafeteria, unlike his teammates, Levi didn’t need to eat. Or at least he’d hoped his physical body is kept sustained somehow. He followed the signboards down two hallways until he found the double doors of the hospital’s wide cafeteria area.

The abandoned chairs and trays along with some pushcarts that were probably halfway toward the kitchen, but in the rush were left as they were. Levi hoped there wasn’t any spoiled food but he found a long table on the left side of the cafeteria near the vending machines. Mercifully, the water dispenser was still on, and the container still poured out steaming water onto the paper cups. On the table, Levi frowned at the half-assed box of tea bags next to the sachets of instant coffee. He tried to wrack his brain for any ideas whether Eren preferred coffee over tea. But he already committed to getting the young man tea. The more he stressed over the minor issue, Levi just wanted to kick himself for being too stressed over a stupid drink. “Get your fucking self in order.” He gritted his teeth, and dunked the tea bags on the two cups and made his way back to Eren’s room.

“Hey,” Eren greeted him, just as he shrugged on a dark green hoodie over his head. “I found this over in that supply closet, a patient must’ve also been a student here.” He supplied. The hoodie was slightly oversized for Eren, but he didn’t mind, in fact, it made him look more his age and not some war veteran soldier. Then, the kid glanced at the two cups of tea that Levi held in both hands.

“Here,” Levi handed the cup over, and both of them returned to their seats. An amused smile lifted on the corners of Eren’s face as he took small tentative sips from his paper cup. Though Levi can oddly smell the diluted scent of peppermint, he’d still be able to actually taste the tea or feel the warm drink go down his throat. 

Eventually, it was Eren that broke the silence, placing the cup on the table by his cot, the young man stared intently at him. “You still hold cups like that,” nodding toward Levi’s hand where his fingers held the paper cup along the rim out of the habit since Kenny first introduced him to fragile teacups, the only actual gift the man gave him aside a foldable knife for self-defense.

“My uncle once bought me these dingy teacups from a garage sale on my eleventh birthday.” Levi shrugged and sat down on the cot next to Eren’s. “Though those cups were rather old, probably prehistoric relic worthy, they were the type you’d find in a mad hatter’s tea party. I didn’t know how delicate the ears of the cups were, and managed to break an ear off one of the cups while I was washing the dishes.” Eren gave him a half-smile and the expression fitted the man more than the serious, cold gaze from earlier. “Since then, I held the cup along the rim,” Levi concluded, while Eren continued to regard him like a very intricate piece of the puzzle he couldn’t solve. For all Levi knew, they could’ve sat there all evening and still beat around the bush. Then, Eren glanced toward the helmet of his LifeLine gear as the gears seemed to turn in his head. 

“Do you trust me?” Eren asked, under the small desk lamplight, his deep green eyes seemed to glint with flecks of gold that Levi wouldn’t have noticed if the damn kid didn’t lean forward, and Levi had more than enough time to fully see the swirl of green shades in Eren’s eyes. The soldier reached for the helmet on the table, Eren quickly slipped it on his head, and from his ruined jeans back pocket he pulled out a connector cable. The brunette paused just half a foot between them. Levi, then realized, that Eren was waiting on his cue. Did he trust Eren? It already took an incredible amount of his own trust that the kid didn’t bolt the room while he grabbed some tea.

Levi exhaled loudly and decided to lean forward, even though the robot’s metallic plated body, its receptors enabled him to feel the warm touch of Eren’s hands. The way that the tanned fingers lightly traced along the nape of the robot in such an intimate way that, at first Levi thought that the brat would twist the machine’s head completely off. Then, he heard the soft click, and Eren’s fingers pushing the connector through a slot along the right side of Levi’s neck. “Hope this works,” Eren mumbled, and settled closer to the edge of his own bed, before plugging the other end of the cable to the slot along the side of Eren’s own helmet.

At first, the two of them paused in rigid silence. With the tinted glass shield covering the soldier’s face, I couldn't pinpoint what the other thought. Then, a single message bubble appeared on Levi’s screen.  ** _Establishing Connection…._ ** Which soon followed by another message.  ** _Connection complete._ ** Levi wouldn’t have noticed the subtle shift if it weren’t from how Eren’s helmet completely disappeared, and his clothes have changed out from the loose hoodie and torn jeans, into a pristine Survey Corps’ uniform. By instincts, Levi glanced down and found himself back to his original body. Not the height or built, or even the tall cowboy boots of his uncle, but his actual self, as if he flew all the way from Marley and sat down with Eren in a random hospital in the middle of Trost.

Levi lifted his head and stared back at Eren. Jade eyes that held such longing and relief as Levi gazed at him. Somehow ever part of Levi relaxed as if he truly went home after decades of being lost. Tentatively, he cleared his throat and popped the bubble of silence. “Can you hear me?” his voice didn’t sound garbled like it was filtered through thick glass, or through a scratchy comm built into the gear.

Eren visibly relaxed with the way he exhaled softly and a grin made his eyes looked brighter even under the warm light of the bedside lamp. The scout nodded, but Levi didn’t miss the way those large, and scarred hands clenched into fists through the sheets of the cot. “Sorry,” Eren mumbled, and hastily rubbed the back of his hand through his eyes. “I just, it’s been a while since I heard your voice.” He finally admitted, and even though the worry in those large eyes, Levi felt a deep love behind the relief. “Levi, so you live.”

It was only a short remark, merely four words, but Levi felt his heart fluttered the minute his name left Eren’s lips. He wanted to punch himself, they barely got anywhere through the short respite from the fighting, and already so many thoughts and emotions clashed within him for attention. Shaking his head, Levi needed to focus, they were both on borrowed time. As if reading his mind, Eren sighed and crossed his arms. Though the brunette still leaned slightly forward toward him, there was a respectable amount of space between them, where the cable still connected them together. “Moblit can patch us this link, but if we lingered within this firewall server space, it would appear like a prolonged computer lag back in Marley,” Eren explained, and crossed his arms as if he were reciting words repeated to him like an oath. “Are you really stuck in that thing?”

Without caution from their earlier meeting, Levi soon realized just how straight to the point Eren was. The brunet didn’t beat around the bush and just shoved his words directly at him. Levi was even momentarily surprised by how the Eldian knew of the current predicament. “How’d you know I’m stuck?”

Eren met his leveled stare and began to tell Levi about the whole operations that went between Hanji, Moblit, and Erwin to trick the Marleyans. “Hanji’s program works alright. These helmets are built with cameras and listening devices that give live feed to the computers back on Marley. Though it takes a lot of electricity to make that hunk of metal to move with the same accuracy as the person’s physical psyche. Hanji’s concern was the delay in the movements.” Levi recalled the first initial months when Marley had to airdrop the first dozen robots along the west forest near Ragako. It was one of the first abandoned settlements that had no soldiers or patrols. Hanji didn’t disclose the reason why that particular city was abandoned, but even for Levi, he knew that Marley hadn’t breached that deep into the region of Rose. “So how did it came to be, that scouts are wearing the gear?”

“Hanji tipped us off,” Eren said factually and shrugged his shoulders. If Hanji could hear their conversations over through Levi’s gear, the woman preferred not to make a comment whatsoever. “The entire operation relied on delaying the Marleyans from directly attack Eldia.”

“But why,” Levi insisted, “This entire year-long war could’ve just stopped with just handling me over to Marley and let them trial me for my crimes against my commanding officers. All this bloodshed and war could’ve stopped there!” Levi’s voice slowly escalated to the point he was shouting his frustrations. Even with his memories scattered and blurred, he knew that the entire problem would’ve been solved if he ceased to exist.

“Don’t think like that,” Eren whispered, but Levi averted his eyes from him. No matter how much Levi tried to think a way out of the twisted plans of Tybur, the Marleyans were already too invested in attaining the ancient relics of Eldia. “Tybur or the President of Marley can’t kill you right now, Levi, they won’t risk it. Because of me.”

The words were barely heard, but from the corner of his eye, Levi observed as Eren pulled his legs up and wrapped his arms around them, and rested his chin on his knees. “I lost my arm you know.” Levi raised his left arm, in the game. The limb appeared more like his genuine flesh, and hand, unmarred, and flawless. In reality, however, it was just a prosthetic, the arm being cut off during an operation a year ago from a war injury Levi couldn’t even remember fully. “The least you can do is explain to me what the heck is going on before I start losing more than just another body part.” He spat back making Eren winced at the words.

“It’s a long story,” Eren admitted, still curled up in front of Levi. A huff escaped Levi’s lips as he settled back on the bed, and cot in a more comfortable position.

“Then you better start explaining while we got this window of opportunity.”

*******

_ One year ago _

Four days, that’s how long Eren was left to “cool down” in the dungeon right after he explicitly punched Erwin in the face and kicked Kruger too hard when they tried to restrain him from jumping onto his bi-plane and fly to Marley himself. He particularly didn’t recall the heavy chains that kept him tied to the bed at one corner of the cell. Eren had such minimal movement that he couldn’t even stand up and leave the damn bed. Time seemed to almost stretch in an endless monotony of alertness and drowsiness. For the King or Erwin to prolong his time in the dark cell nearly drove him mad. Since the night of the battle on Paradis shore, the scouts and most of the King’s men had retreated back to Shiganshina District. He vaguely recalled being hauled on the back of an armored truck while the rest of the Marleyans took off to the sky once all of their soldiers were accounted for.

The entire port village was abandoned, and a hundred villagers were forced to relocate with the Garrison soldiers to the western seaport after the smog bombs nearly killing not just their livelihoods by the water, but also caused internal poisoning to their lungs and inflamed skin. King Rowan formally wrote a letter to the President of Marley towards the damage and casualties on Paradis beach, but the Marley Military Head Commander, Willy Tybur stated how, Eldia has broken their government’s trust after harboring one of their corporals that was wanted for a trial of his own crimes. Even with the jurisdiction that Levi Ackerman  _ is _ Eldian born, and the crimes he committed were in Eldia. The commander still found a way to place the blame on the King and waged the war of other unrecorded raw resources that Marley could stake claim to since it was also discovered in Zeke Yeager’s reports.

“I’m going to fucking murder them,” Eren swore loudly during the first day he woke up in the dingy cell, and his only company was the trained wolves that slept on adjacent kennels. Sometimes, the wolves would howl and whimper whenever Eren’s chains rattle, or he’d simply turn over for the night. His anger slowly dissipates with each passing day but morphs into annoyance. The tip of his nose itches, and he couldn’t even lift his hand to scratch it. The pee bucket near his bed started to emit a bad stench, but most of all, even with his angelic blood through his veins…Eren’s stomach grumbled in search of food. At least the wolves were given a decent amount of attention. Eren never pinpointed the exact time that the caretaker for the wolves came. He’d just woke up and hear the echoing steps leave the dungeon, and the wolves began to tear apart the meat thrown into their individual kennels. The mental link that allowed him to feel even the smallest change in Levi’s present location. Before, Eren could simply follow that invisible line that tied them together for better or for worse. Since Levi’s capture, the line between them went lax. He knew that Levi was too far for him to actually tell whether he was in harm’s way or not, but not enough to feel him or vise versa. He tried so much to reach down that link but it slipped his grasp every time.

Eren tried to sit up, and get comfortable even with the weighted chains that cuffed his wrists and ankles. The distinct sound of keys followed by a low scraping sound of the heavy metal door from the top of the two flights of stairs, sliced through the quiet space. Dozens of glowing eyes from the wolves stirred, hoping that the basket of mystery meat came early. Eren leaned back on the cold stone wall, as he waited from the sudden brightness of torchlight as it bobbed down the steps and headed straight toward his cell. Being kept in the dark made him turn away and recognized the disinterested voice from the other side of the bars.

“You look like one angry little brat,” Kruger muttered as he walked up closer to Eren’s cell and the brunet couldn’t help the low, animalistic growl that came from deep in his throat. Kruger was responsible for even reporting about Levi’s current location in Eldia.

All the anger and fury that had ebbed away from the past few days came back in full force at the sight of the man that had literally brought the war at their doorstep.  _ Be logical, you know Zeke and Tybur were plotting all of this mess from the start _ . He mentally kicked himself, but along with the strong motivation to strangle Kruger for not telling him directly of his real objective here. “What do you bloody want?” Eren said back, throwing all of his resentment into each word. “Levi’s taken into custody, the Marleyans won’t be bothering the sea villages anymore.”

“You’re forgetting that part of his mission is to investigate the lost relics that the Marleyans had been searching for decades.” Kruger placed the flashlight on the ground and went over to the wolf kennels, a few of them sniffed the air on Kruger’s approach but none even growled or bared their teeth at him. During the first time that his foster father, Grisha introduced his long-time friend from Marley, Eren had been wary. The man had a permanent frown. The man had a permanent frown and had a mop of brown hair that covers his ears. As Jean lightly described him during the formal dinner at the Survey Corp’s office in Shiganshina, the man was a physical embodiment of sadness. His grey eyes regarded everything with a level of disinterest, which even after the disastrous fight on the beach remained impassive. “I may have questionable loyalties for someone like you, but to do my job, I need to make sure neither side doubts where I stand.”

Kruger patted his dark green coat, pulling out a box of cigarettes from the inner pocket and lighting one up. The wolves behind us lost interest quickly on the newcomer and went back to curling into their own small beds of hay in the kennels. Soon, the faint smell of smoke filled the air, and Eren figured that the man wouldn’t leave any time soon, so he shuffled a bit closer to the edge of the bed until the chains that shackled his wrists to the wall nearly pulled the taunt. “So what exactly are you still doing here? You sold Levi out and submitted the reports he already disposed of a year ago!”

“Levi submitted those reports.” Kruger deadpanned, but he might’ve as well sucker-punched Eren in the gut. At first, Eren thought he misheard what Kruger had said, but the man’s grey eyes didn’t waver or give Eren anything away from it being a lie. “Your little boyfriend planned to be arrested rather than risk the Marleyans marching all the way to the walls where they’d be sniffing out you and Historia.”

He couldn’t help it, but a long, loud, and bitter laugh came out. If he wasn’t feeling too restricted already, Eren would’ve doubled over and hollered till his sides hurt. “Historia and I can take care of ourselves,” Eren said back, but Kruger raised an eyebrow at him, but made no comment while he took another long drag of his cigarette. He didn’t deny that there were those small moments before of how Levi had a lingering sadness in his eyes whenever they were together. Moments when the man thought he wasn’t looking, and the gunmetal eyes still held that guilt of even claiming ownership to the sword. They’d only ever fought thrice about what to do with the sword, but as usual, Levi wouldn’t even take the risk of the unknown when they thought about reforging the blade or destroying it entirely to prevent any other person from abusing the blade’s powers. Did Levi betray him? He knew how the alchemic swords of the Fritz were the reasons for power struggles and greed centuries ago. It nearly drove humanity to insanity if not for the Angels’ interference. 

They didn’t take that long journey to the sanctuary only for Levi to expose the sword’s location to the one country that had been gunning to grab it since the time of the great war with Fritz the first. “You and Historia are the last known Nephelim.” Kruger blew out a long line of smoke and leaned back on his seat. “It is your blood that even forged the sword in the first place,” Kruger added and crossed his arms. Eren tried to keep the terrible memories of those dark days behind him, but he couldn’t stop how his body physically reacted by flinching at the words. 

The Marleyans wanted the sword before. All those myths of a holy artifact that could unravel or remake the world did exist. And he was living and breathing proof of it. Colossal Peaks held the gates to the monstrous creatures that are kept deep within the mountains. Ymir’s sword was forged steel made with the blood of the angels and the stones from Colossal Peaks that built its gates. If Tybur or the Marleyans used the sword, they could unleash natural disasters and release the hideous beasts from Colossal Peaks to destroy Eldia. “The sword is broken. I’ve not bound to the blade anymore, they’ll be wasting their time to interrogate Levi.”

“Yet you reacted strongly to being restrained here when Erwin and Hannes pulled you away from the beach.” Kruger nailed him right on the mark, and all Eren could do was glare back at him. “Levi Ackerman would be used to lure you to Marley, the commander knows that you have some connection to the sword, Excalibur. Thankfully, he doesn’t know that a part of your soul is within the blade. Mayley has the technology to go through memories, and every single interaction and conversations you have with Levi would be disclosed, or have already been compromised since those ships would have reached Marley seven hours after the battle, and if my intel is correct.” Kruger’s brows furrowed and examined Eren as if he were an intricate puzzle he couldn’t solve. “Somehow though, Levi Ackerman remains asleep. Something is preventing their machines from going through his head, and waking him up.”

A cold realization dawned on Eren, and he muttered a curse in the ancient language. “He must’ve asked favors from the sword.”

“The what?” Kruger asked back incredulously, but even if they sat down and explained how Excalibur worked, the man would never believe him.

“Alchemy is living magic. When King Fritz first forged the sword, he placed a part of me to seal the weapon’s magic. Excalibur has its own mind and thoughts, which is why I had no say at times who will own the sword and who doesn’t. That selfish toothpick probably struck a deal with Levi to wipe his memories clean.” Eren summed up but it didn’t help lessen the hurt he felt.

He didn’t even need Kruger to believe him, even after Levi came to terms that the sword was bound to him, Excalibur still acted independently to anyone but himself. “I need to talk to Erwin and the King. We need to save Levi.”

“That’s not possible,” Kruger said, and flicked his cigarette to the ground and extinguished the flame with the sole of his boot. “Levi chose to surrender himself, and if he remains in a vegetative state, Tybur will kill him and send others here to find the relics. I already asked one of the surgeons to amputate his hand where the mark of Excalibur is etched on his skin. The poison gas did a good job of making that limb swollen beyond repair. Ackerman planned to cut all loose ends to Eldia and give the kingdom enough time to return you and Historia where you truly belong and not endanger the kingdom.”

Some parts of Eren wanted to continue to yell and dismiss everything that Kruger kept telling him. It became abundantly clear why neither Erwin nor King Rowan came down to meet him. If Levi truly plotted to sever their ties just to keep Eldia and him safe, then there really was no reason for a rescue mission. The grumpy short stacks were willing to sacrifice himself just to make sure no one else dies or a bloody war was to happen because of Excalibur. The heavy tears he’d long suppressed since he was physically apart from Levi and the mental link that connect them vanished, were finally freely trickling down the side of his face. He’d wished his present master wasn’t a chivalrous, clean-freak, with a heart, but his mind came resolutely to the idea itself the more he sat in his dingy cot, in the miserable cell. Levi wasn’t his master anymore. They never used the terms after the whole ordeal with Micah in the sanctuary, but the Raven finally sets him free.

Eren sobs, and though he’d already had the taste of true freedom since living within Eldia, this release from the binding contract was something he never wanted to end with the Raven. Kruger continued to rattle about sucking it all up, move on, and for Historia and him to return to the sanctuary. Micah would’ve stood by those stone pillars with the same stoic face and say “I told you so,” with Eren acting like a dog with a tail between his legs. Along with that sadness, however, Eren felt rage. A fiery emotion that’s not directed at the man before him, but towards the man who left him. Kruger stood and was about to leave him when Eren gritted his teeth and scrambled to leave the bed. His chains pulled taut as he strained to reach the bars of his prison cell, and Kruger paused.

“You are not taking me back!” He yelled defiantly, his limbs hurt from the tension along the manacles, and he half expected to tear the chains off entirely from the stone wall, but it held firm. “If I am truly free from the blood oath of the Lance Corporal, then you have no right to keep me here. I decide whether to abandon that stupid idiot to die and go home, or swim to Marley myself and skewer his sorry ass for being a martyr without telling me of his idiotic scheme.” 

Yes, he thought, he’d punch Levi in the face for his stupid stunt. Kruger merely turned toward him, his face still impassive as he said. “You’re willing to endanger this country to war to save a man that Marley only uses as a puppet?”

“Fuck Marley,” Eren spat and pulled harder on his chains, they burned painfully against his skin, but he didn’t care. “They’ve been pushing my country for far too long. If they want war, then we will give them war. The Commander had gone too far.” The chains that held his wrists snapped, causing Eren to be flung towards the iron bars of his cell. He held onto the bars tightly and wished he still had more strength to rip the bars apart. 

Then, the strangest sound filled the empty corridors. Kruger laughed. A genuine, entertained sound that he needed to lean against the wall for support. “God, no wonder the blade, Excalibur chose crazy people to wield it to battle, even the blade’s two halves are mad.” Kruger continued to chuckle, and the soft sound of the doors from the top of the staircase echoed again. Erwin and King Rowan came down, with apologetic smiles on their faces. Completely bewildered by the turn of events, Kruger explained that he wanted to test just how far Eren would fight for a future war. King Rowan unshackled him from his restraints and opened the cell door. Eren cautiously stepped out from his cell and stared at all three of them.

“I don’t understand.” He finally admitted, and Erwin raised his hands in a placating gesture and nodded toward Kruger.

“Eren Kruger is still a spy, but we had planned to have him move you and Historia to the safety of Colossal Peaks until the King deals with the investigations from the Marleyan government. However, he also convinced us that war is inevitable with our neighbors.” Erwin explained while Kruger cleared his throat.

“Even if Levi Ackerman wasn’t executed for treason, Marley would still wage war with you. Excalibur is dangerous at the wrong hands, and it has been a symbol of leadership and power worldwide. Tybur will use the sword as an excuse to finally destroy Marley’s long time enemy and march up the sacred grounds of the angels. It is time to end the long feud. But to do that, we need to ensure the safety of the people.” King Rowan explained while Eren rubbed the sore bruises of his wrists. 

The King made plans to relocate the people of Eldia to the mountains. Soldiers would remain in the entire kingdom, but once the people are safe, he will need Eren’s power together with Excalibur to fight Marley and free the kingdom from the tyranny of their neighbor. While the plan was solid, it still felt sad for Eren than Levi was not part of the deal. He didn’t know if the sword itself would choose Rowan as the Lance Corporal successor for the war, but he refused to let Levi die. “I will strike you a deal, Rowan,” Eren said seriously. The king never was offended whenever he dropped the formalities, but Eren was dead serious with his choice.

“I will follow along with your plan, on one condition. Levi lives, and we save him.”

King Rowan sighs but wasn’t entirely surprised by the compromise. “For this to work Eren, we need to convince Tybur that Levi is no threat and still has a use for them. A rescue mission is simply hard to accomplish with Levi back in enemy territory.”

“Which is why Kruger here to help.” Erwin placed a hand on the older person’s shoulder, while Kruger crossed his arms as if it were a chore he’d rather not be a part of. “He’ll feed false reports to Marley that Eldia is still not safe for Marleyans to march into. Toxic fumes that caused the deaths of not just Marleyan soldiers but also poisoning the air. Eldians will remain below ground, while we spew enough sulfur smoke in the air.”

“Your role is to do that angel magic thing to make sure Levi won’t recall any events in Eldia. I know that Excalibur’s done its part to unbound you to Levi as master and weapon, but we need that magic that could rewrite reality.” Kruger explained the plan and Eren grimaced at the thought of messing with Levi’s mental state to let him live. In the end, he sighed and clenched his hands into fists.

“I’ll do it. But do whatever it takes to keep him alive and the deal’s off.”

***

By the time Eren was done telling his story. Levi had laid back on the bed, his head pounding with the overload of information and the exhaustion from the entire day of activity. The brunette had quickly detached the connection between them, and while it left Levi feeling unbalanced as if he was stuck back in a body that wasn’t his. For a while, neither of them said a word. He was thankful for Eren giving him some time and space to fully accept the gravity of the situation.

He was tired, and as he rolled over his side, Eren sat on the edge of the bed, an awkward grin on his face, that Levi couldn’t help but comment on. “What’s with that shitty grin?”

Eren shrugged and laid down next to him. Latching his fingers under the helmet, Eren pulled it off completely and giving Levi an eyeful of those bright green orbs. “I’m just glad you’re alive that’s all.”

Levi wanted to say something more, but before he could stop it, his eyes grew heavy, and sleep began to fully drag him into a deep slumber. There were still a lot of unanswered questions, but at that moment, he just felt at peace to be in the same room as the Eldian boy with the blood of the angels. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's me again! So I'm not entirely sure when the next update will be, but I thank you all again for being patient in waiting for updates on LifeLine. ^_^, stay safe wherever you all are in the world. Until next time!


	21. Clash of Powers pt 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What’s up everyone, welcome back to LifeLine. I was planning to enjoy today without updating but, since it's my Birthday, here’s a little gift from me to you guys, a new chapter update. This, honestly, is one of the longer stories I’ve written and if you have noticed the slight change in the details of the story, yes, we are down to the last ten chapters! Of this long fic. I’ve already plotted down how this story will end, and I’m really proud of how far this is coming along. Also do check another LifeLine Special Story, which is “The Boy with Angel Blood.” a short story of Eren’s origins. 
> 
> On another note, since we are halfway through this book, drop down any questions you guys have regarding LifeLine. ^_^, comment, upvote, and enjoy!

It all felt wrong. Eren turned to his side, and stared at the strange humanoid machine that had no face, yet imitated the actions of men. During the brief connection between it and him, all he saw was Levi, his voice, his stupid constipated face, and steel-grey eyes, that, Eren would still see afterimages of the same man that out-witted him even up to the very end before his memories were taken.

The human-robot didn’t move, it didn’t even shift in the way a human’s body does when breathing deeply while sleeping. “What did they do to you,” Eren whispered softly, wanting to reach out and confirmed the thing beside him was Levi but hesitated. He’d seen the first hand before running into Levi’s group how lethal the machines were, even the mind-controlled scouts made him hesitate on directly engaging in battle. How could he harm Jean, or even Mikasa when their bodies are controlled by the enemy?

_ We only have one plan, and it's a risk even Levi calculated on before he was taken. _ Erwin told him back in the bunker. 

Everyone turned to Eren then, but even he stiffened at the very scheme they’ve concocted. There was only his consent left, and little to no room for error. Armin, who sat right beside him, avoided his gaze, his eyes fixed on the steaming cup of coffee before him. 

“ _ How sure are we that it will work?” _ He still found himself asking, but Erwin’s cold blue eyes remained on him, that in the end, this man was willing to go through the reckless plan or not. “ _ You realize if we do this, Eldia will lose a symbol of power. _ ” 

To his surprise, Erwin shrugged and slumped back on the headrest of his bed. “ _ Fuck all that, _ ” Erwin replied honestly, and even when he didn’t voice, Eren agreed as well.

Throughout his eternal life, he had those fleeting moments where his responsibilities didn’t physically tie him down. As he lied on his side, watching the unmoving machine that held no indication of life at all, Eren’s thoughts drifted to that last evening he shared with Levi. In those rare instances that the man would let Eren spoon him instead of the other way around. He would remember the mint and herb scent that filled his nostrils as he leaned in. That time, he didn’t think anything different from their usual love-making, the way it felt to be connected with Levi and felt that vibrant note from that mental link between then resonates with a euphoric note. 

Now, he rolled onto his back and tried to reach out again to that same bond between Levi and the sword, but felt nothing. The same blankness that began immediately when he woke up, alone, and in pain in the dark cell after the battle in Paradis Beach. He wanted to rest, after the eventful day, his body ached for a reprieve from the action. Eventually, he drifted off into a dreamless sleep, only to wake at the shrill sound of his phone going off from his small pack, which by some miracle the screen hasn’t cracked. Eren tried to locate his bag in the dark, and found it under the bed, together with the heap of his gear. He doubted that he could use the gear to get out anymore, the wiring case was dented, and there were large holes on the gas canisters. 

At least he could still defend himself since his blades and sword holts were still intact. From the bed, the machine still didn’t move, but Eren still grabbed his phone and answered the call right outside of the room. “Hey,” 

“Don’t hey me,” Moblit barked back, the frustration and relief noticeable in his voice. “Petra and Sasha said that they were supposed to run back for you after the explosion, but I’ve seen you dragged away in a car with Jean, Dok, Keiji and Marco. For all I know this entire operation has long been compromised.” 

Eren winced as he tried to lean on the wall near the double doors of the recovery room, but managed a weak laugh. He did realize that Horse-face managed to escape and that the possibilities of Mikasa being out again, did make him worry. He’d have to talk with Levi somehow about identifying the rest of his team, and whether they are trustworthy or not. “ Sorry, but I was out of it too.” Eren launched into a brief explanation of what happened during the fight at the central district of Trost. For all he knew, Moblit had the entire explanation on speaker mode so that Erwin and the rest of the scouts could head as well. By the end of it, he could hear the hushed commotion going on with Moblit’s end, while he felt movement from down the right hallway.

“I’m just glad you’re not dead or captured by Zeke.” Moblit finally said, and even Eren wanted to thank the Angels for that too. He was too out of it and in pain to really tell the difference between being taken by Zeke, or by Levi’s friends. In fact, he didn’t trust himself enough that Zeke and Levi weren’t working together. It's that kind of stupidity that nearly got him in trouble even before the war. 

“What’s the status of the enemy’s position?” Eren dared asked, while the sound of a mouse clicking faintly filled the silence before another person answered.

“Nothing on any cameras in the city. Petra, Connie, and Sasha had to retreat after the fight you had, though I’ve been watching their movements the most we’ve got is that they are somewhere in the western side of the city.” Rico explained before Moblit took over again.

“Also, Petra found Hannes, which is why they retreated.” Eren nearly forgot about the alcohol enthusiast with the turn of events. “He’s not in good shape, lost a ton of blood but Armin is trying the best he can to get the old man through the night.” 

“The old geezer should’ve just bunkered down until we regained control of the situation,” Eren said back, but he knew that the day was a total disaster. In the back of his mind, he’s glad that Hannes was safe. While he was giving his report to Moblit, he froze and slightly turned his head toward the approaching person. From the vacant look on the other’s face, Eren stared down at Marco.

“Who-”

“Don’t waste your breath, it's me, Annie Leonhart.” Marco deadpanned, and Eren was half tempted to say something sarcastic, back. Though one look from Marco, even as misplaced as it was to find someone so cheerful and kind, has such intense glare, he knew that the person using Marco wasn’t lying. “Glad to see you’re still alive and kicking,” Marco/Annie commented, with both hands in the pockets of some loose sweatpants.

Eren didn’t end the call, knew that Moblit and the others were listening to every word from their conversations. Eren slipped the phone in the hoodie’s pocket and fully turned as Annie stopped near him. “Why are you up? Shouldn’t you be resting?” 

“I could ask you the same question.” She said back, but his eyes still lingered on the LifeLine device that remained latched on Marco’s neck. Noticing his stare, Annie rolled her eyes and tried to push up the collar of Marco’s uniform to try and hide the device but failed. “It could be worse.” She remarked, and Eren could list down the number of things that fitted that list. He never got along with Annie during their time in Eldia in the partner program, but they have hit the mat together and saved each other’s backs during the uprising in Ragako. Plus, it was also Annie that stayed in touch with him. “I can’t sleep, and someone needs to keep an eye out on Zeke.” Annie added, which only made Eren feel the weight of the entire war at hand.

“Are we being monitored?” Eren asked Annie seriously, and she shrugged her shoulders at him.

“Far as we’ve observed, they have better tracking of Levi’s movements since he is a full body robot, but Commander Tybur’s forces haven’t gunned in on this hospital yet. Adding to that, Bertolt and I were up on the roof earlier to find any close movement near this place, but the whole city of Trost is quiet.” 

“The Lifeline gear wasn’t designed for 24 hour usage, so I guess, they needed to hide while it charged.” Eren added as he recalled how the transmitters of the gear’s receptors lost its strength the longer the game proceeded in the past. Hanji did tell them via email how the batteries of the gear in Eldia could only go up to seven hours max. It was the perfect time to strike but then Annie was still moving, and their companions were still trapped in the gear’s system. 

“Why are you moving then?” Eren countered, and Annie even momentarily pondered on it but had no answer as well. If they were truly stuck in another person’s body, nothing was stopping Zeke and the rest of Marley from finding them. Until Annie snapped her fingers and began to waving one hand in a downward gesture. She lifted Marco’s eyebrows in surprise and repeated the action again with a faster movement. “What are you doin?” He finally asked, and Annie held her arm up for a minute before letting it drop.

“In the game, whenever we wanted to log out of the server or use the in-game map, the options just pop up on our screens, in your case, it floats like a hologram projected by the gear.” She tapped the gear’s oval edge near Marco’s collarbone, before cupping his chin with one hand. “This limits us from leaving the game, or even locating each other. In this case, the gear is placed on an idle function, but players can’t move as freely as they could outside the bound’s of the gameplay.”

Eren blinked at her deduction, but like Levi, Annie has been exposed to several of Marley’s war game simulations, so it might count to her expertise in this playing field. “So for short, this is a breather time.” Eren concluded and Annie again shrugged her shoulders.

“At any rate, you can’t stay here once the game begins again.” Annie pointed out, “Our objective is to kill Erwin so that our comrades at home won’t be killed.” From the way that Annie stared at Eren, she must’ve counted on him to be shocked, but it only proved their own knowledge that Hanji provided. “But you seem to already know that.”

“Sorry,” Eren mumbled, but Annie didn’t look offended but rather pinched the bridge of Marco’s nose, and shook her head. “I don’t like how this game is playing out, but one thing is for sure, if you recalled our conversation years ago, about Tybur’s old agenda and our government’s incompetence to see the pointless war. Your King needs to find a way to stop this before Eldians would be forced to fight each other.”

“We are working on it.” Eren said back, and Annie lifted an eyebrow, almost urging him to keep talking, but Eren raised a hand before her. “Just, trust me alright. Erwin and somehow, Levi already plotted this out.”

A short laugh escaped Annie as she tilted her head to one side. “I bet, Captain Shorty didn’t expect this whole master plan to take fold for two years and be part of some human experimental supersoldiers.”

_ Nope, he didn’t _ , Eren thought, wanting to agree with Annie, before she sighed again and gave a half-smile. “Whatever you Eldians are planning though, it has to end with this game. Live are definitely on the line.”

“Do you trust us?” Eren asked back, and Annie stared at him pointedly with her piercing eyes that even with Marco’s gentle nature, made the man appear intimidating enough that he could stomp a person dead if she did it for him.

“No,” Annie admitted, before turning her back on him. “However, I’d rather see you beat the crap out of Tybur than see this nation burn to the ground.” She stalked away, and Eren couldn’t help but chuckle at Annie’s expense of showing support. Eren pulled the phone from his pocket, which was still on call.

“Sorry about that, she’s just being herself.” Eren apologized, but instead of Moblit’s voice on the other end of the line, he heard Erwin’s voice.

“She hasn’t changed a bit.” Erwin mused before clearing his throat. “We are proceeding with the operations now, preparing for the plan and be sure you can trick them.” 

Eren grinned before turning back into the room he and Levi shared. “Soon,” He whispered at Levi’s sleeping form on the bed, knowing tomorrow, they had to act fast. 

***

Levi’s dreams were usually mundane or in cases, memories he long forgot, though he never had a dream right in the middle of kissing someone. Levi could feel his heart racing and the velvety touch of warm lips against his. Warm arms wrapped around his waist and the sweet scent that filled his nose. Eren’s warm laugh would vibrate between them, before, Levi could pull away for a bit to stare down at the other man’s bright cat-like eyes in the dark. “You seem clingy tonight more than usual.” 

Eren was lying on his back, his brown hair still ruffled and disheveled, the tips still soaked from the rain after they ran through the city from the quick pre-battle drinking that Hannes initiated. Levi could blame it on the alcohol, or maybe even desperation, but the sight of Eren under him, breathing hard and just as intoxicated as he was, just swelled his heart with both love and sadness. A smile lifted the corners of his lips before Eren pulled him closer to kiss his forehead. “Tonight, just for tonight. No war is coming, or some shitty winged grandpa going to ruin this.” Levi whispered, and tried to tug Eren’s shirt up, exposing his midsection. 

_ Remember the plan _ ** _. _ ** The words kept repeating in Levi’s ears, while his lips remained locked with Eren. The lingering taste of beer clung to Eren’s mouth, but the second Levi’s hand wandered to press on Eren’s crotch, the other male groaned, which gave him access to Eren’s mouth. Their tongues swirled together, while Eren’s fumbled with the button of Levi’s pants. “Lift your head for a minute.” Levi murmured, tugging insistently along the edges of the shirt. Eren rolled his eyes at him but instead of complying, Eren sprang up at him, surprising both of them as a yelp came from Levi's mouth.

With both of them sitting upright, Eren’s eyes wide as an owl, and Levi’s cheeks burning in embarrassment, it was Eren’s laugh that sliced through the stunned shock. Clutching his sides, Eren laughed louder, causing Levi to glare at him, and shifted off the bed. “Oh god, wait, I’m sorry, but-” Eren struggled to keep a straight face, even under the light of their bedside table lamps, Levi could  _ feel _ the tips of his ears burning as well. Annoyed, Levi grabbed the pillow from his side of the bed and chucked it at Eren’s face.

All the desire and arousal decreased with his own expense, but he really did need to peel his drenched clothing off, the light rain did sober them up on the walk. The need to just hold Eren close after talking with Erwin at the bar heightened as he took in every smile and simple gestures of affection from Eren. “I’m showering first,” he told the still chuckling Eren, but quickly padded his way together to their shared bathroom. The cold shower did help him clear his mind further. He laughed softly as he recalled the silly turn of events. Drinking beer after beer, drunk dancing with his boyfriend on the dance floor, and running through the fucking rain. He felt like a fucking teenager or at least a version of a teenager he could’ve been if it weren’t for his bastard of an uncle that made him hustle just to survive every day.

Running his hand through his hair, all Levi wanted was to be content. He thought before that owning an apartment in the fast-moving city of Liberio with a stable friend with benefits kind of relationship with Zeke did give him that contentment he wanted to achieve since he was a child. Yet, somehow, his old man, Kenny’s words still rang a small portion of the truth.  _ “Eldia is your home, and you will never escape it with your delusions, you punk. So learn to appreciate what you got while you hide your tail across the sea. _ ”

Levi would’ve laughed at the man’s words, but now, he wanted to kick himself because he had gone home. In fact, as he turned off the faucet, and dried his body with a towel before wrapping it around his waist. A set of his worn black shirt and soft grey sweatpants were folded on the countertop by the sink. He huffed a laugh with how Eren also placed a fresh pair of boxers, the same gag prints of a pissed off cat all over it from the time he’d pranked him during their awkward tension of dislike. “Stupid sentimental, brat.” He grumbled but wore them anyway.

By the time he returned to the bedroom, Eren was already under the sheets of the bed, his wet clothes discarded, but he did change into a flannel green pajama set. His eyes already engrossed in another book he received from the monthly subscription from Armin’s Grandpa’s bookstore. “You’d get sick if you don’t take a shower after being drenched in the rain,” Levi commented and ruffled the damped top of Eren’s hair as he passed. 

Without taking his eyes off the book, Eren’s right hand reached out to take the hand Levi used to touch his hair. “I don’t get sick,” Eren mumbled with a small grin while tugging Levi on the bed. The raven rolled his eyes but let him be pulled up on the mattress and shimmied to his side. A part of Levi did hope he and Eren would continue their little lovemaking, but from how Eren kept his eyes solely on the book, (not that he hasn’t done it before) without a glance at him. Levi could tell something was bothering him.

“Something wrong?” Levi asked frankly, while he tucked himself under the sheets and rolling over to his side to look at his lover. 

Flipping a page, Eren lowered the book and bit his lower lip the way he did when wanting to talk about something important. “You’ve been out of it lately since the days counting to our deployment to Paradis Beach.” Eren pointed out, to which, Levi raised a brow. 

“The King asked me to be involved with trying to predict Marleyan's movements with Kruger.” Levi tried to explain, as Eren placed the book on the side table. Guilt did war within Levi knowing he did hide certain things from the brunette. He would be lying to hide that for weeks, Levi had been busy with working out a plan that would border between brilliant and insane. Convincing even Erwin to keep the idea between them and Kruger without alerting Eren had been extremely hard for him. The brat trusted him a lot, which was something he knew carried a bigger gravity than anything. 

“We haven’t seen each other much with all the stress of this tension with Marley. I’m sorry,” Eren placed a hand over Levi’s, and a lump formed on his throat. 

“No, I’m sorry too, it’s just, efforts of peace talks with Marley is just hitting a brick wall with Zeke and Tybur intercepting our emails and attempts of contacting their government and telling them the truth, instead of the lies Tybur and Zeke feed them.” Levi was also just a blind follower of the law of the Marleyan Military. 

“Then let's tell them the facts! That Tybur is just gunning to kill a nation over some petty feud in his family.” Eren said like a child throwing a tantrum, and while it was a simple solution, Kruger's words still held more weight because it was also Levi’s reality. The Marleyan Government was under Tybur’s thumb, if not for the law that prevented a person from running for president of the same family after a term. Tybur’s father was the last president, and the position had been passed over to a family friend of theirs. 

Wrapping his arms around Eren’s waist, and the other male relaxed to the touch. “A valiant effort, but we are dealing with a family that has led Marley through greater heights for decades. Their claim on the Eldians relics may be wrong, but the Fritz family did tricked them into getting back a rightful Eldian heirloom.” 

“The only reason Tybur wants it now, because he knows about...well why the sword is legitimate.” Eren crossed his arms, but with the awkward positions between them, the Nephelim finally settled down so that Levi could tighten his hold on him and kissed his temple. “Their family owed their influence because of the sword. The whole world knew about Artie’s reign, and for Marley to return it to Eldia as a token of surrender back then just rubbed salt on their wounds...especially after Erwin’s great grandfather banned them from even stepping on Eldian soil.”

“You sound like you’ve lived through the drama.” Levi teased, knowing the whole eternal life of his lover still made him self-conscious before, between them, Eren could still banter back to Levi as well. The clash of powers for the claim on Excalibur had always triggered a war one way or another. It held power that made the owner of the sword unstoppable. And humans still claimed the weapon as a rightful object of kings. Levi had been the only exception, having no intentions to lead or even abuse the sword. After knowing the bloody history of the blade, he found it ridiculous with the lengths other power-hungry mongrels go about in getting their hands on it. “We’ll get through this.” Levi finally added softly.

Next to him, Eren managed a small smile and touched their foreheads together. “Always.” Eren slurred, and Levi realized how more tired his lover was. Death wasn’t new to either of them. However, if he dies, it was Eren who’d suffer more because of the stupid curse he was forced upon.

For a while, both of them were silent, simply enjoying each other’s company, but too restless as well to go to sleep. The unspoken fear of what tomorrow would bring once they take the long ride to Paradis Beach, there’s still one last thing for Levi to do before they head off to battle. Levi waited for Eren to drift completely to sleep, as the last part of the plan to work, he’d need to think for desperate measures. In the dark, Levi patiently waited before Eren went completely limped in his arms. Something that Micah had warned him months ago in Colossal Peaks stuck to him. A way to break the chain of power and deaths. Slowly, he slipped his arms off Eren and gently left the bed.

Together with the crates of items they were about to send with Historia to the sanctuary for safety, Excalibur was sealed in its sheath on the top of the crates. Thin parchment papers with the runes Historia placed on it to keep it from appearing at Levi’s side covered its entire length. The leather hidden under the seals. Even if Levi hasn’t touched the enchanted blade, Excalibur hummed with power that pulled him like a siren’s song to draw the blade. From the bed, Eren mumbled something in his sleep before pulling the blanket higher to cover half his face.  _ Remember the plan _ . He thought again and turned back toward the sword, the root of the very problem. 

The Mark of the Angel glinted a silvery sheen under the moonlight at the back of Levi’s hand. He could still clearly remember the evening when Eren, not Cal, chose him as the next successor of the sword. The sword taunted him, itching to be freed from the confines of the leather. Yet, Levi had to focus on the task while Eren was still asleep. “You know I barely ask for favors.” He started off, even if the sword didn’t stir or sliced him in half, a part of Levi, that was tied to the blade, knew that the spirit trapped within it was listening. He still couldn’t erase from his mind the image of the Excalibur nearly glowing like a hungry flame with the blood of slaughtered men coating every inch of the steel, but most of all, the dead deep green eyes that stared at him but didn’t recognize friend or foe. Levi shook his head and balled his fingers into fists.  _ That’s not him _ . Levi kept reminding himself as he spoke further to the sword.

“Help me break the chain, this stupid game between men and the Angels. You’ve pulled through for both of us before in the Sanctuary, help me again this time.” Aside from the soft snores and Eren’s turning on the bed, the sword still didn’t stir. Remaining as inanimate as it could deceivingly to convince Levi that Cal was just a figment of his imaginations.  _ But imaginations didn’t kill a hundred men and more. _ Running his fingers through the undercut of his hair, Levi scowled at the stupid giant toothpick before him. Yes, he broke the damn sword, but those scary minutes as he begged in the sanctuary proved the spirit in the sword was still alive, broken, but definitely alive. “I have a plan to stop the cycle once and for all. Help me, and I’ll give you and him, freedom.”


	22. Clash of Powers Pt 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyo everyone! Welcome back to LifeLine. I’ve split this chapter into two because I didn’t feel like I would reach the birthday deadline that I set myself weeks before. There’s a lot more into this chapter, “The Clash of Power” than the previous chapter intended. To be honest, this chapter, even the previous part, was a struggle for me to write. I nearly drove into a writer's block with how I kept checking if the story's flow still made sense, or if the dialogues and actions were okay. Even after I managed to flesh out this part 2 I still felt like it didn't live up to what I had initially wanted to portray. But here we are. 
> 
> Further note into the chapter, I might take a while to write out the next few updates, primarily because I have some things to settle on my job, and handling some changes in my life at the moment. I also have several backlist books I want to read and review, which is funny cause even in the midst of the pandemic, I still only have the weekends to indulge in reading the books on my shelves. 
> 
> Anyways, I’ve stalled you all enough. Here is part 2, and I do apologize in advance. 
> 
> -DanDeeLion

It was one thing to dream about almost having sex with the person that made his heart race, but another thing altogether to wake up alone on the bed with nothing but a note on a nightstand. For a split second, Levi mixed up his fantasies and reality. It took him seconds of full wakefulness to remember that he wasn’t physically in Eldia and that they were still in the game. He sat up, and Eren’s note beaconed from atop of the pad of paper he’d used to communicate last night. 

_ Trust me later, don’t hesitate, we’ll end this game _. 

The cryptic message baffled and worry Levi as he read it over and over again. From the right upper corner of his vision, Levi noticed a timer that ticked down with forty minutes left on the clock. “Hanji, are you there?” Levi asked, and the click of the receiver near his ear came like a distant phone call.

“Yup, good morning! So, um no pressure, but today, your team will be working with Zeke to find Erwin.” Hanji tried to sound upbeat as usual, but Levi could hear the strain in her voice. The same waver that she had whenever trying to downplay the situation as it fasted approached the shit storm of a crisis.

Sure enough, Levi noticed the chain of messages on the left side of his screen. Zeke and his own team sent their coordinates on where to meet. Something however felt off for Levi with how Zeke was suddenly wanting to work together. They both made it loud and clear to not get into each other’s business. Memory or not, Levi knew enough that Zeke didn’t want anything to do with him after whatever transpired in Eldia years back on the joint military exercise. 

“I’m not working with him after he nearly killed us yesterday.” Levi said back as he moved around the room, trying to find any other hint or clue Eren left. The brat managed to slip away him as if they had a one-night stand. 

Even the tattered remains of Eren’s cloak was gone from the crumpled heap under the bed, together with his gear. Levi doubted that Eren could get away with his ruined equipment, but then again, he knew the city a lot more than Levi. The scouts could’ve been posted near the university just to make sure he made it out before the Marleyans noticed. _ He should’ve at least told you _. A selfish part of him remarked, but he shoved the thought aside.

“You really don’t have a choice in this one Levi, look, I set the timer on the game because its the given time for all of you to gather enough supplies for your team.” The sound of fingers frantically tapping away on the keyboard filled the silence between them, before she continued speaking. “Look, Djel and Tybur are planning something to eliminate Erwin Smith, and Eren left you a message-”

“How’d you-”

“Levi, I see what you see in the game, remember.” Hanji answered for him before even finished the question. “Moblit is currently intercepting Zeke’s communication with Djel, but all that he is relaying to Colt is that Djel's team had pinpointed Erwin’s location.”

From the double doors, Nile’s ugly face frowned at him, but later gave a shy smile that crept Levi further. If not for the fact that Falco took full reign of the middle-aged man’s body. Falco held up a wrapped sandwich in one hand, and a cup of steaming coffee in the other. “Breakfast,” the kid mouthed, which Levi found somewhat ridiculous since he couldn’t eat, but then, Falco had nodded for him to follow. The rest of his team had already gathered to plan for the day. “Hold on, Hanji, I’m going to be meeting with the others. They need to know what’s going on as well.” Levi said and met up with Falco. Though the kid had made his outburst yesterday. Falco already went back to his talkative self, and telling Levi about all the things Reiner, Bertolt, and he found as they explored the university hospital. 

“Most of the gas in your gear is completely depleted, same with Annie’s, but good news is that Reiner found some spare gears at the basement level of the hospital. It seemed that scouts use this place often as well.” Falco explained as they walked, and held the sandwich closer to Levi’s head, which he stiffly shook his head. Though the scientists kept him strapped and comatose to a feeding tube in real life, even Levi still felt that pang of hunger that gnawed his stomach.

“Where’s everybody else?” Levi asked, while promptly muting Hanji’s line of communication to focus solely on Falco. 

“At the Lobby, Reiner brought up the gas tanks and made a way to fill the ones already strapped to our gear. Annie already began filling yours and I was asked to check if you were still an inanimate object or not.” 

In the morning’s bright light, the Trost University Hospital lobby appeared more tranquil and opened spaced than it had in the evening. Levi didn’t realize how the entire lobby’s reception desk sat vacant, with the paperwork of patient records spewed over the desk. Gurneys were pushed toward the sides or piled haphazardly near the main entrance as makeshift barricades. Some archways led to other wings in the hospital and a strange sense of Deja Vu knocked Levi more than it did during the evening. The banners of the three known daughters of the first King hung right at the center of the lobby. King Fritz’s daughters, Maria, Rose, and Sina, whereas stories went, each daughter led a sector of change in the economy of the country. 

“_ Look at all that load of bullcrap. _” Eren’s familiar voice spat from the foggy memory in his head. Levi felt unsteady on his feet and barely noticed Falco walk up to the rest of his group as they circled around the reception desk eating sandwiches and drinking coffee. Levi had one foot in the present and the other in the past. He stumbled back and leaned against the cool handrail of the staircase.

He'd been to the hospital before, but he couldn’t recall exactly when. With all the rushing that occurred in the dead of the night, Levi barely paid attention to the place they crashed for the evening. The ornate, white pillars and framed photographs of the history of the hospital filled the entire left wall of the lobby. Even with the pieces of grey and black furniture, and long rows of chairs for patients and outsiders were placed exactly as it had been in the vague memory that lingered at the forefront of Levi’s mind.

“_ This isn’t you, the doctors said you need to stay in bed since you’re still healing.” _ The frustration that filled Levi’s voice at that time was laced with anger as well. He didn’t recall why he chased after Eren, or why they were in the hospital. He ran after Eren, but a strange sense of uncertainty and fear made Levi hesitate on how to actually approach the brunette. 

“_ Don’t mock me, Ackerman, we wouldn't be in this mess if the choice for the sword’s successor was someone else.” _ Eren’s furious eyes glared back at him as if everything was Levi’s fault. 

_ “Then pick anyone else to have the damn sword.” _ Levi said back and wanted to push past Eren, but as he stared at the bandages that wrapped around the brat’s forehead. Guilt left him mute and unable to directly look at Eren in the eye. “ _ Look, I didn’t ask to get a piece of ancient metal as an inheritance from an old musty wizard. There must be a mistake. Can’t I just pass it on to someone else?” _

A bitter laugh left Eren’s mouth, and his eyes filled with sadness that seeped through his next words. “_ Passing on the sword is not as easy as it looks. Either it's taken from you by force, or you die. _ We’re _ connected to you whether you like it or not. _” With that, Levi watched as the angry King’s guard stomped past him, completely oblivious to the gawking eyes and heads that turned to watch him go. Some of the doctors that cleaned the kid's wounds gave up on keeping him in bed. Which only further amplified the anger boiling in him.

“Captain, are you still with us?” Reiner’s hand clapped down on Levi’s shoulder and chased him out of his own prison in his head. “Are you glitching or something, you just froze.” Reiner added, as Levi finally managed to make his body move forward again.

The others looked at him in a mixture of alert and wariness. None of them voluntarily signed up to be trapped in the game, but that’s what it’s all about for Tybur. A long, torturous game into getting what he wanted. “Sorry, I- I remembered something.” The words even sounded idiotic and dumb as he voiced it out. 

The words however had a different effect for Bertolt, Annie, and Reiner. Their attention immediately on him. “What did you see?” Bertolt asked, and Levi barely opened his mouth, just as Hanji’s voice filled his ears again.

“Leeeeevi! Don’t ignore me please,” Hanji’s sing-song voice rang through Levi’s ears as he tried to cup his hands against his ears, but remembered Hanji wasn’t physically near him. The rest of his team groaned as they heard the exact same shouting.

“For fuck’s sakes, speak like a normal volumed person.” Levi hissed back, causing Hanji to laugh genuinely, and not the strained version when she tried to keep her calm while teetering close to panic. “Brief them about the situation now, while I try to think of a way out of this mess.”

“They’re watching our movement, though,” Falco mumbled half-heartedly, and Levi shrugged his shoulders, the close surveillance was the last of his concerns. He’d dealt with worse things before, heck, Levi had lived through the worst. Yet, Eren’s letter kept repeating in his head over and over. _ Trust me, we’ll end the game _. Something wasn’t sitting well with how the words were composed, but with only twenty minutes left before they had to meet up with Zeke, they all had to act fast. 

“The target is Erwin Smith right? Commander Tybur probably just wanted to end this war without bloodshed.” Falco guessed, but Levi knew there was more to it than that. He doubted Tybur would let things go easy when his pride was trampled down by the Fritz family. 

“Erwin’s not an easy target, but combining forces with Zeke would speed up the pace of finding him.” Even under the haze of his fucked up brain, Levi could feel the facts of his locked knowledge surfacing. The little things he knew then, fitted like pieces of an elaborate jigsaw puzzle that he tried to form an actual picture. “The people are the first and foremost priority of Erwin. He’d make sure none are caught in the crossfires of this war.”

“We haven’t bumped into any citizens since we’ve entered Trost.” Reiner countered, and it clicked on Levi about what Zeke had planned. 

“King Rowan would’ve evacuated them in advance, they’d anticipated attack before Marley actually breached the walls.” Levi muttered as he stared at the abandoned gear in front of him. Even as he nudged it with his boot, the metal cylinder had its weight. Everything was abandoned on a moment’s notice, yet the streets still had scattered soldiers left and right for the picking. Something wasn’t right. 

“Sir, what should we do?” Falco tentatively asked as he readjusted the new tank of gas on his gear. 

“Did no one even stop Eren when he left?” Levi had to confirm his suspicion, even though he was knocked out cold, unlikely that none were on watching for someone going in and out of the building.

Reiner and Bertolt’s eyes went immediately to Annie, who just shrugged with her hands tucked in the pockets of her pants. “He asked to leave,” She put it bluntly, and if it were any other real situation, Levi would’ve glared at how Annie just let one of the vital people with an information slip away. “To be fair, you would’ve let him escape as well, knowing that his older brother still has a petty tantrum with him.” 

Levi wanted to inquire further on what he was missing in the feud between the two Yeagers, however, Reiner cleared his throat, and passed to Levi a new set of gear to fit around the robot’s body. “Just a heads up. um Levi,” Hanji added through his earpiece. “Tybur also wanted to witness a clean kill of Erwin for this game to be over.” At the mention of the Eldian commander’s name, everyone tensed, but Levi had to stop himself from even hissing a curse at the sudden shift of Hanji’s tone. _ Djel must be close by _. “Zeke is sending the meet up point and expects you all to follow direct orders.”

“Unless you’d rather not like for Mr. Grice to survive tonight, Mr. Ackerman, I’d say you don’t waste precious time tonight.” Djel added, and near him, even under the guise of an older man, Falco paled, but his hands balled into fists by his side. 

“We’ll make this quick.” Levi promised and prayed that he wouldn’t be signing the deaths of more than one person under twenty-four hours.

The line between them and the world outside the game went silent, but he didn’t relax, they were backed to being monitored. Apart from him wanted to find Eren, for once, Levi was out of plans, but the brunette obviously had one and must’ve been on a scheme concocted by Erwin or even the King. Yet, he had his orders. Even though it left a bitter taste in his mouth, killing Erwin Smith, his old game avatar was the only route there to the game. 

***

“You’re late.” Zeke greeted, in the light of the morning, Levi nearly froze the minute he landed on one of the apartment building rooftops as he spotted Zeke’s own small group. With last night’s action and his focus on not cyber dying in battle, he failed to realize that Zeke was physically in Eldia. The taller man’s blond hair under the thick helmet, and trimmed beard that peaked from the dark brown thermal jacket. Zeke’s camo pants matched his jacket, but the tell-tale bulges from the pockets indicate the additional packs of ammunition for the rifle strapped and slung across his back. 

Reiner landed beside Levi while from the corner of his vision, Bertolt and Falco went their separate ways to find a better vantage point to be their eyes in case anything was threatening or unfriendly coming their way. “Since when did you arrive here?”

The blond’s fake confusion irritated him, but it was the woman beside Zeke that unnerved him. The person’s eyes were cold, and half-lidded as if she just rolled out of bed and was forced to greet them. Her dark hair fell up to her shoulders, and for Levi, it didn’t look like she knew the meaning of brushing it at all. Unlike Zeke, she wore a white blouse under a long trench coat and a long pale skirt that reached up to her ankles and nearly covered her dusty beige boots. She stepped closer to Levi, her eyes examining the metal body of his with a short formal nod. “It’s an honor to work with both Zeke Yeager and Captain Levi, I’m Sgt. Pieck Finger.” She introduced but with a slight slur in her tone, nearly mumbling out the words, as if still half-asleep. Levi shook her hand, thinking she was the replacement for Yelena’s role, after the fight last night. “Orders from the Commander that we are to be here.”

“And yet, Captain Levi isn’t?” Reiner backed up for Levi, 

Pieck regarded Reiner with a look of disinterest as if the young soldier wasn’t towering over her and simply spoke out of order. “He is deemed fit for the frontlines, the Commander is simply looking out for his safety despite his PTSD.”

_ Or rather, they don’t trust me after whatever happened here that I don’t remember _. Levi wanted to voice out but settled with placing an arm across Reiner’s front before the man would think about rushing at the sergeant. “It’s alright, everything’s settled now, so, what’s the main plan?” Levi cut to the chase. Even before they left the hospital, Levi pulled Falco aside just long enough to talk to the kid alone.

“Look, I know this entire operation is a huge risk, and your priority is not only to stay alive in the game, but keep this person alive as much as possible.” He placed a hand on Nile’s shoulder, but worry still clung to Falco’s tensed body and pleading eyes.

“I can’t lose Colt, please, but I don’t want to kill innocent people either.” Falco added, the weight of the trigger hilt felt heavier in Levi’s loose grip. It was easier for him to simply die in battle, no losses, but the rest of his team had the human hosts to think about.

“_ You’re not going to lose him, _ ” Levi wanted to say, he can’t feed a kid’s head with false hope. He needed Falco’s attention to remain in the mission. Eren’s words still rang in his head, _ don’t hesitate _. “Just remember what I told you yesterday, never hesitate in your actions. We’ll end the game.” Levi said not just for Falco, but for his entire team.

Zeke scratched the back of his right ear while roving his eyes at the small team of soldiers. “First off, we already zeroed in on the safehouse that Erwin’s party is hiding at.” Zeke began, and on the holographic map, a red dot flared on their screen just ten blocks away from where they were currently on standby. “We’ve followed those runaways last night after the whole ruckus your crew caused.”

Levi wanted to speak up, but then, Djel’s voice had cut through their receivers before he had a chance. “To avoid any conflicts in this, Zeke will be heading the operations.” Even with the smug look on Zeke’s face, the decision wasn’t entirely a surprise for Levi. Bertolt and Falco were already oriented with what to do if the order had been issued.

“Lead the way then,” Levi nodded toward the city of Trost that sprawled before them.

“Don’t be a spoilsport Levi, you used to enjoy the art of war.” Zeke teased, and rummaged through the pockets of his cargo pants and pulled out clear cellophane-wrapped candy. “Everything’s just a huge game for us. Let’s go back to the good old days.” 

Levi’s version however of the ‘good old days’ weren’t all sunshine and rainbows, as Zeke saw the humor in it. Adjusting his grip on the trigger handles, he surveyed the eerily quiet streets of Trost. While Eldia was far from the bigger metropolitan cities like New York, or even Tokyo, the stillness in the city disturbed him. Even on his way to Zeke, he found no movement whatsoever through the fly by the rooftops. “Where are your other troops?” Levi asked without turning his face to Zeke. 

“I’ve displaced eight of my men along the exit tunnels of the city. The most we’ve confirmed even from the controlled Eldians is that Erwin Smith, and a small group of the Survey Corp unit is still within the city. As of the people, we’ve pried information from the captive soldiers and it seemed that most of the Garrison troops evacuated them in time before you’ve even entered the game.” Zeke brushed off the imaginary speck of dust from his shoulder, before crossing his arms and doing a quick stretch of his limbs. “One of my men reported to manage and dealt a heavy damage to Erwin Smith before they went into hiding. Eren, being here however and not under our control is an entirely different story. We kept close watch on his and Erwin’s movement, but somehow my half-brother managed to get from here from Orvud. I’ve been following Eren all the way up to yesterday, until we intersected last night.”

_ Ah _, Levi thought, knowing where the conversation headed. Keeping his voice neutral and uninterested. “I didn’t realize that we could do our own agendas even on a mission.” Even with his eyes on the horizons, he could feel Zeke’s gaze burning on him. 

“That’s right Levi, I’m sorry. But you know, family matters.” Zeke sighed, “Although, of course you don’t remember do you, that's all I wanted to keep my other family _ safe. _”

“Mavrick spotted a large moment of soldiers heading east from the eleventh block away from us.” Pieck cuts in before Levi had a chance to interrogate Zeke. The broad smile on Zeke’s face unnerved Levi, the man knew how to easily get on his nerves. He confused these gestures and words as an admirable trait back when it was easier to talk with Grisha’s son. There’s intelligence and calculated risks that Zeke took, and Levi followed his lead without questions. Even after several evenings of sex, if Zeke said to trust him, Levi never doubted him at all, even if the outcome meant to certain murders and sacrifices. 

“Trust me on this, this game will end today.” The near semblance of Zeke’s statement with Eren made him uncomfortable, but Levi turned to Reiner and Annie. 

“We follow Yeager’s lead.” He confirmed and stepped along the edge of the building. “What will you be doing anyway?” Levi looked over his shoulder at the relaxed stance of Zeke as he grabbed a pair of binoculars from Pieck and turned toward the general direction she indicated. 

“Oh, I’ll be your eyes and ears from afar Levi, don’t wanna die in battle now do we. Go on, Erwin’s waiting.” The blond Yeager teased, and even as old habits die hard, Levi reintroduces his middle finger to him, and orders his team to move out. 

He flung himself off the edge with practice ease, aware of the other two soldiers behind him. Levi hadn’t even made it halfway to the location when he spotted several dark shapes in cloaks moving through the air like giant birds chasing each other. “Looks like we are in for a showdown.” Zeke’s voice filled his head, and Levi bit back a curse as he sailed through the buildings at a faster rate with the updraft of the wind helping him propel forward. 

“Captain, Erwin Smith is right at the head of the group of soldiers in a truck, but he’s got a wounded soldier riding with him, and several scouts guarding them from above.” A rookie soldier reported directly to Levi. Even before he left the front lines, the troops relayed their positions and status on the field for both him and Zeke even with the former being the higher ranking officer than Levi. 

“You said he was injured.” Levi relayed back to Zeke, while Reiner swung closer to him and yanked a sword out from the holster around his hip. 

“Driving with one hand is reckless, but they are demons in a sense, they must’ve recovered fast.” Pieck added in a subtle mumble that was far from dry humor. “At any rate, Erwin Smith was MIA since the confrontation during the day, he might’ve received medical attention while in hiding.” 

Levi still had his doubts about Erwin being fit enough to drive, but his senses remained alert, as five scouts were screaming bloody murder toward them with swords drawn. Levi didn’t recognize any of the faces but Reiner paled as he flew right near Levi, his swords also drawn, but lips turning down into a grimace. “Fuck, that’s Sasha, Connie, Mina, and Stephen.” None of the names ran a bell in Levi’s head, but the familiarity in the faces did cross on two of the scouts before them. The smaller soldier with the bald head, and the brown-haired female with a sheath of arrows strapped to her back. “Don’t kill them, please, they’re-”

“Don’t,” Levi bite back before Reiner finishes the sentence. Anything they said or would cost them back with Tybur. “Remember the mission. I want them immobilized and out of the way.” Levi ordered, and switched his hold on the sword in his left hand, just as Connie got within range, Levi twisted in the air to the right to avoid the full-on collision and slashed his sword through the wires that held Connie airborne. The younger scout yelled a curse as he plummets to the ground, and the distraction was enough for Annie to slice through the wires of the other soldiers, but Sasha managed to parry away the blade and the two females slammed against the side of a building, never letting the other get the upper hand on their crossed swords. “Annie’s got the idea.” Levi commented as he and Reiner kept their focus straight at the speeding car. Shadows of other scouts appeared, but Falco and Bertolt managed to keep them away from directly confronting Reiner and he by the sharp sound of bullets being fired, causing mayhem in the sky. 

“I can’t fire a larger shot at them since you two are within range!” Bertolt snapped, just as Reiner pulled back and sucker-punched a soldier that got way too close to him in the air. 

“Fire at the tires!” Reiner shouted before scaling up the wall of a five-story house and surprised another sharpshooter of Eldia that aimed for Levi. “We’ll hold him off, but the car is too fast. How will you make it?”

From his headset, Levi could hear the amused laugh from Zeke’s end. “I’m sure the Captain would think of something dangerous yet effective.” 

In fact, he did have a plan to get close to the car. It presented itself as they drew closer toward the hi-way ramp that brought them closer to the exit tunnel out of the city. There were only a few buildings left for his hooks to be attached to before he’d be forced to go on foot. Levi only had one shot. “Falco, are you above me?” Levi asked through his headset.

On the small screen that revealed the layout of Trost, it was Falco who was closest to his location, covering his back from any hostile enemies that might pop out. “Just several paces from you, up on the rooftops, this old man can’t keep running for long.”

“You don’t need to run after me, I want you to be my extra push to reach them.” Levi explained the plan as he eyed the sturdy control towers that beaconed incoming airplanes out of Trost. At first, Falco was silent, before a loud laugh filled his ears. Falco leaped off the rooftops and swung from one building to another to keep apace with Levi. “On my signal.”

In several heartbeats, Levi pressed the trigger harder and used the extra push from the gas canister to accelerate him forward. Falco equally matched his pace but propelled further ahead. Levi observed as Falco aimed toward the near top of the tower, the grappling hooks of the maneuver gear went taunt along with the handrails of the service ladder. Like a human-sized ragdoll, Falco went lax as the wires pulled him fast while Levi had all hoped he could pull off the crazy stunt. It was beyond reckless since in a worst-case scenario, a full-grown man using another body to catapult in the air for that extra push. The van raced through the streets, and Levi remained vaguely aware if he was followed. From the tower, Falco used his momentum and the maneuver gear’s wires groaned and sparked against the railings, but they held firm. Nile’s body looped around once as Levi neared him and stretched his hand out. “Now!” Falco grabbed Levi’s forearm, and below them, the van made it to the bridge, where the rest of Zeke’s troops awaited on the other side behind their metal barricades and assault rifles that jutted out from spaces between the barriers.

Falco yelled as they both turned around the tower on the second circuit before the kid pushed Levi into the air. Without the help of his gas canisters or the wires, Levi was momentarily airborne, until gravity took hold and his accelerated freefall closed the distance to the van. Even as he tried to soften his landing by tucking his body into a roll, Levi still slammed hard on the roof of the van. The air being knocked out of his lungs and his entire right arm stung with pain. If it really were his physical body, he would’ve been covered with bruises or cuts all through the arm. Levi tried to hold onto the roof of the car before he completely slid down and hit the asphalt. The car tried to jerk him off as it tried to swerve left and right in jerking motions that made the Raven toss and turn, his fingers trying to keep a better hold until one sudden left turn swung his lower body off the car.

“Fucking Sina.” He hissed, as he dangled off the side of the car, Levi yanked out one of his daggers and slammed the blade hard through the metal as he held on to dear life. 

“What are you waiting for Levi?” Zeke murmured in his ear. “Tybur’s waiting.”

Trying to keep his mouth shut so he wouldn’t bite his tongue while the car continued on its wild attempt to shake him off. Levi gritted his teeth and lifted himself up, elbows braced on the edge of the van’s roof and feet planted firmly on the car door. The window didn’t roll down, but call it his survival instincts. He quickly pulled himself back onto the car room, just as the guns inside fired and shattered the glass where his legs would’ve been. He had to end things. The remainder persisted in his head. It was either Erwin or Falco’s brother. Levi unsheathed another blade for his trigger hilt and crawled back to the edge of the broken window. A few voices were shouting orders inside the car that Levi couldn’t understand with the garbled feed of reports from his team. Crouching down with his back towards the side of the van. 

Levi took a firm hold of the window frame before he pushed off and thrust himself entirely into the van. His feet made contact with the chest of the closest soldier, and in a brief few seconds, adrenaline or maybe the metal body he inhibited took in immediately the number of scouts in the tight space. Including the driver, Erwin sat on the shotgun, with two other scouts seated near the window he entered from. One of the soldiers had his hood pulled down to reveal a blond coconut head with large petrified eyes. The young soldier’s hands trembled as he sat beside the person Levi didn’t expect to find too soon. “Er-,”

Eren had the hood of a new green cloak up, but his bright green eyes stared at him intently and raised one finger to his lips. On Levi’s screen, the game’s system displayed a new message that only increased his confusion. “_ Mission Target: Erwin Smith, Identified _”. At the front seat, Erwin looked between Levi and Eren from the rearview mirror. As if he silently wanted to convey a message but before he could utter a word, Eren and the other blond soldier scrambled to move. The Brunette tackled Levi so hard, they both hit the side of the van with a force that if it weren’t for the metal body, he could’ve sworn that in real life, Levi would have several broken ribs.

“Don’t be thrown around like a useless soldier, Ackerman. Do your mission.” Tybur’s voice cut through, while Eren had him pinned down to the side of the vehicle with one arm on his neck. An earpiece was placed over Eren’s right ear, with a grim frown on his face. His jade eyes that used to hold warmth and brightness had been changed to cold, almost predatorial eyes of a hunter.

_ Something’s not right _. Levi thought as he placed both of his hands on Eren’s arm, while Armin moved closer to the window as well, peeking over the gaping hole as wind bellowed within the confined space. “We are halfway through the bridge. It needs to happen now.” The smaller blond said, and even with Eren pinning Levi in an uncomfortable position, he could feel Armin pressing the familiar shape of a pistol gun in his hand. 

“Levi, listen carefully, Moblit has tapped this car, Eren also placed a bug on your player avatar early this morning to give us this small window of chance. For now, Eren is just another random scout through the game's graphic feed, and...the Erwin before you is really Eren. That’s what the video feed is also seen in Marley. You have to kill Eren for Tybur to end the game.”


	23. Reset The Game

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Long time no see everyone, welcome back to Lifeline. Also, I am so sorry because the last chapter ended in rather confusing detail. I didn’t explain it well and it might confuse you all in this chapter. So for a quick explanation because I didn’t edit the ending out well. Before you all jump into the chapters, to clarify the situation. The game is changing the perspective of the characters on Marley’s side. Through Levi’s eyes, the real Erwin is carrying Eren’s name in the game, and vice versa.
> 
> I’d be honest that I had a slump from writing this because of some adjustments I am doing in real life. I am back to working from home, and my clients plus my boss really keep me on my toes every day. I actually planned to not update for a while just to relax and not think about both work and non-work related writing. However, I miss writing about this world so much. Thank you all for still sticking around. I do hope this chapter isn't a mess for you guys to read cause I definitely struggled with this one. Enjoy!
> 
> -DanDeeLion

** _Five Hours Earlier_ **

“Absolutely not,” Eren said after the entirety of the plan had been explained to him. Erwin already latched his larger hands along the edge of the LifeLine gear that he’d used since the program began. Hanji already saved his entire biometrics to the device that even if Eren, not the avatar, it was calibrated to show his form and shape. “This isn’t a suicide mission Erwin!”

The brunette had just returned from Trost University Hospital after Reiner and Bertolt treated his wounds. He knew it's not necessary, but at the same time, only a few known people saw how fast his healing rate was. A part of Eren hated leaving them alone, but after making sure that no one followed him to the next safehouse closest to the bridge. Connie and Moblit watched troops of Marleyans barricade their only other way out of the city. Erwin managed to appear less exhausted, but with his recent injury, the plan of swapping places with Eren made him wonder if the man finally lost his mind.

“Just think about it Eren, you’re not the target, Erwin is. The enemy thinks they’ve injured Erwin and he’s easy picking. Zeke won’t come after  _ you _ because he would disobey Tybur’s orders.” Armin tried to reason with him, while he scanned through the map of Trost from their encrypted internet access. 

“Tybur’s personal vendetta is with me. After all, it was me that revealed his true colors to the Hizuru Government, the initial union of military powers between them were severed because of my interventions during their stay here. If his President kept him on a shorter leash he is less likely to see the trick we’d pull off.” Erwin gave him a hint of a small smile, but Eren only slammed his hands on top of the table before him.

“That’s not the point here, Tybur is someone we can both handle once we find a loop out of this mess. Zeke is on an entirely different level. He would kill two birds with one stone no matter which plan we take.” Eren admitted and clenched his fists, a day of scouting through Trost, and being an open target for Zeke. Grisha’s real son was in a bloodlust after him. Eren, Sasha, and Nifa observed how he didn’t come after Connie under Erwin’s disguise and went straight for him. “He’s concealed, similar to what we’re doing with you right now. Also, we can't trick him because he's here in Eldia.”

Erwin didn't even flinch or appeared a bit worried about Zeke being in Eldia, however, the grin on his face did make Eren unsettled. “We will still sell this plan with Levi, but with facing Zeke himself, it seems my initial plan would work further in our favor,” Erwin said back and pulled out his phone. “I’ve already made contact with Historia, if you won’t agree to this arrangement, I’ll be happy to have Cal’s assistant for this next phase.”

At the mention of the name, Eren went rigid and the rest of the 109th troops tensed around them. Armin wanted to speak up, but Eren held his hand up to his long time friend. There was nothing in Erwin’s words that made the threat a bluff. Eren wanted to sneer at the caterpillar-browed man, but the soft chuckling laughter of Cal in his head kept him motionless in his place.

“ _ I think it’s a brilliant idea,” _ Cal mused in a purr. The way a cat would lazily stretch from its slumbering position and regard its prey. “ _ I’m rather up for this tactic. I want to have some fun as well you know.” _ Even though Eren knew Cal wasn’t even near him, distance never mattered to the other half of his soul. The side that hungered for war and vengeance. “ _ You know that you need me in this, besides, that raven-haired shorty asked me a favor.” _

Eren sighed and didn’t like the idea of being back to a corner, but he wanted things to end. The war dragged on for too long, and if they didn’t act soon, Tybur would notice the illusion of his tyranny. “I’m in, but I want you to make out alive of this Smith, otherwise, I am never going to get my chance to punch either you or Ackerman from the stupid shit you’ve both put me through.”

A hearty laugh came from Erwin before he held his uninjured arm up in surrender. Eren shoved the rest of the LifeLine gear to Erwin, while Moblit explained the rest of the plan to him. The thought of punching Levi in the face had been on his mind since the midget pulled his martyr stunts at him at Paradis Beach.  _ “Just admit you miss him. _ ” Cal mused in his head before Eren erected his mental walls up to block him out entirely as he geared up for the next day in battle.

“I'll have no control over Cal once he's out and moving. How are you even going to control him for this suicide mission?” Eren asked, while Rico sat beside Erwin and began to configure the settings of the two different LifeLine gears. He was exhausted, but Erwin was even more so. The man had darker circles under his eyes from the lack of adequate sleep. The plan was too much of a risk, however, if what Levi said was true. Their days were truly numbered. 

“He’s connected to you right?” Erwin said back, with the same mischievous smile that had gotten the two of them in trouble multiple times in the kingdom in the past. “Your bi-plane is fully tanked back at the hanger, and I made arrangements with Historia to load it up with what you needed. You’ll be glad to know that your old flight instructor has already deployed and is on course to the destination with the sword. All you need to do is do your thing.” 

Eren couldn’t help the giddy excitement of being behind the wheel of his aircraft but also felt a lump on his throat that after this discussion, he would leave everything up to Erwin’s plan and to trust Cal. “So we’re done playing by their rules.”

The blond commander nodded and gazed at the last remaining members of his squad within the small room. “It’s time for us to fight back.”

In unison, a chorus of “yes, sir” echoed, and Eren could only hope it wouldn’t be too late to save those trapped in Marley.

** _Present Time_ **

There were only a handful of moments in his life that Levi was left utterly speechless and shocked. Even as he tried to look at the Eren in front of him, Armin’s words still didn’t process that the person with the emerald eyes was Erwin. “The game is still pinning Erwin as the objective...if Eren takes his place.” Levi already knew the results. If Erwin disguises himself from the game, it would protect the royal family. Eren would be sacrificed, and Tybur would have gotten his revenge, but then- “Tybur won’t rest with just Erwin dead, he wants the source of Eldia’s power badly.” Levi confessed as the threat that Tybur’s words before he entered the game came back on his mind. Eren increased the pressure of his arms as the taller male pinned Levi against the car door. 

Eren still refused to talk, but even with the deadly glared that came from the brat, Levi didn’t want to hurt him. “Tybur will get what he wants.” Erwin said from the front seat, “You have to trust us, Levi. Whatever happens, you have to be ready to fight from your end. We’re going to get you and Hanji out.” 

Right in front of him, Eren leaned close enough to him, and to his surprise, Eren gave him a quick kiss on the forehead. As he pulled away, a strange, sinister smile nearly turned Eren’s eyes completely black. “See you on the other side, Ackerman.” Levi wanted to ask what he meant, but the windshield at the driver’s side cracked. Everyone was thrown over to the right as the driver slumped against the wheel from the gunshot wound on his head.

“You’re too slow Levi,” Zeke drawled from his receiver. “Good job finding not just the Commander, but also my problematic  _ younger _ brother.” He added, and Levi felt a sudden jolt coursed through his entire body before his vision went dark. The last thing he remembered seeing, was his one mechanical hand jerked against his will and swung his blade directly at Eren. 

***

Levi wanted to scream in frustration but as Zeke promptly ended his game, all he felt was a cold emptiness that ate him away while he tried to regain a form of control to his physical body. The silence that soon gave way to muffled voices filled his ears first. Every nerve of his body felt too heavy. Levi tried to lift his fingers, or open his eyes, only to feel the brush of leather against his limbs, and torso. 

His head hurt, but Levi pushed through the haze of the drugs that threatened to pull him back to unconsciousness as he heard the unmistakable sound of Hanji’s rising voice from somewhere near him, together with Djel and Tybur going back and forth with a series of commands.

“You need to stop Zeke! Eren Yeager isn’t even the target! Erwin’s already dead.” Hanji pleaded, her voice wobbled as if she had been crying for a long while. At the mention of Erwin Smith’s death, Levi’s heart nearly stopped.  _ Did they kill Eren? But then, the game should’ve been over. _ He struggled under the restraints and opened his eyes to the near blinding spotlight focused on him. 

Levi groaned, and the clinks of chains near his head startled him as was the ventilator wrapped securely around his mouth and nose. “Don’t move yet.” Colt hissed close to Levi’s ear, as the scientists scooted closer to him. The edges of his vision were still a blur, but he became acutely aware that most of the scientists and the generals were engrossed in the five monitors that were giving them live feed from Eldia. The helmet of the LifeLine gear hung from the headboard of Levi’s gurney, and even the incessant beeping of the machines didn’t interrupt the focus of the Marleyans from the screen.

Hanji was close to the monitors, her wrists handcuffed behind her back, and a couple of security guards held her in place while she yelled at Djel and Tybur to stop the game. Levi could hear his heart rate accelerating on the machine next to him, while Colt’s hands were also cuffed in front of him, but aside from the two of them on the sidelines, no one paid them attention. Colt gripped Levi’s right arm, and briefly shook his head. “Don’t you’d only make it worse for her.” He whispered, and Levi glanced at the men holding Hanji, and at Colt, who’s bruises were still a sickly darker shade against his pale complexion. 

“The game doesn’t end until that boy is taken,” Tybur said back calmly, and his manic eyes stayed at the retreating figure of a cloaked Eldian scout that came out from the smoking wreckage of the car. Levi tried to clench his fingers but even his fingertips were too numbed to move properly.

“They bombed the car.” Colt filled him in, and Levi stopped struggling all together and stared at the unfolding horror happening on the screens. His the Eldian bodies that his team used were all dead, as a few from the Marleyan soldiers began piling the bodies of the deceased into a huge mound, and if he had anything in his stomach, he would’ve thrown it all back up at the massacre and blood that soaked the streets of Trost. “You’ve been out of the game for two hours...the rest of your squad was also pulled out after the game ended,” Colt whispered, and flinched whenever one of the scientists near the monitors moved or half-turned toward them. “Zeke pulled you out before he launched a grenade at the vehicle. If you died in the game, you would’ve been brain dead. The soldiers at the other side of the bridge confirmed the bodies of Erwin Smith, Armin Arlet, and another soldier who’s entire head was blown off to be identified.

Again, Levi tried to lift his head but hissed at dizzying vertigo that overcame him, and he slumped back his head on the pillow. Colt gave him an apologetic smile, and held his hands up, before resting them back on his lap. “I would’ve sprung you out but, the place is heavily fortified, and you’re still too weak to run.” Levi tried to shake his head from side to side to remove the ventilator until Colt finally took the hint and pulled the mask out of Raven’s face.

His tongue and mouth had dried up and only a croak first came out from his lips after days of not physically talking. It took him a couple of tries to clear his rawr throat before finally managing to whisper to Colt. “Why are they after him?” Levi coughed, but the sound of the beeping machines concealed most of their conversation.

“Tybur saw Eren escaping the vehicle, he started yelling at Zeke to chase him,” Colt explained, and they both froze as Zeke’s voice boomed from the speakers.

“We’ll get him cornered, and I’ll show you that he’s the Nephilim blood you wanted.” Zeke gloated, and Levi immediately understood the situation. If Zeke was able to detain Eren as he tried in the past, he would reveal to Marley and the world that he wasn’t human, and the relics in Eldia were still brimming with power.

“He’s not a fucking monster. If you kill him, it's just plain murder.” Levi tried to shout, but everyone else remained glued to the computers. He stared from Zeke’s camera, as the man raced after Eren from below with one of the military trucks, while Eren tried to outrun the soldiers with his maneuver gear.

“It’s war, Ackerman, besides, the President wants solid evidence that Eldia is creating super soldiers for years if we have this abomination. It would solidify our standing also to the world to support us in eradicating our enemies.” Tybur said and grinned then turned toward one of the scientists near him. “Set up a conference call with the President, once Zeke apprehends his brother, we will show them live about the confessions that Eldia has to say.” 

Levi’s eyes were focused on Eren, even under the cloak, Levi knew something was different. Zeke was physically in Eldia and had witnessed Erwin Smith die. He couldn’t be fooled by the game, and yet, the person he chased had nearly the same build as Eren, only- “That’s not him.” Levi muttered, as he recognized the cat-like agile movement of the person with Eren’s eyes, having unlatched his hooks and landed directly on the hood of Zeke’s truck.

The car pulled up to a jerking stop while Zeke aimed his gun at his foster brother. Eren tried to reach for his sword, but Zeke opened fire directly at the window. As the glass broke to pieces, two bullets punctured Eren’s left shoulder causing the brunette to hiss and drop his sword. The three other soldiers within the car came out, and one of them yanked Eren off the hood of the car and pinned him on the ground. Blood gushed from the bullet wound, while Zeke reported back to the base. “The second target, secured.” He said with grim satisfaction.

Besides Levi, Colt’s shoulders slumped, and Hanji just cried silently. Everyone’s thoughts were that it was all over, that Eldia would be eradicated from the map, but Levi stared at the motionless Scout that was handcuffed and pulled back up to his feet. He didn’t pay attention to how Zeke gave orders for the men to clear out of Trost and search for the King of Eldia. Levi felt goosebumps rise all over his skin, as he caught the small smirk on Eren’s face while the Marleyan soldiers pulled down his cloak and stripped off his gear. 

_ “I have the ability to watch the world burn as long as I’m in control. _ ” The chilling voice from a distinct part of his muddle past whispered. The cold glint in Eren’s eyes as he was being forced into the backseat of the car, with the guns trailed on him. Then, he remembered, the night he met the true guardian of Excalibur. “ _ You want my help to destroy your enemies?” _ Cal murmured as Levi tried hard not to reach out and wake Eren up from his sleep, while Cal took over.

Eren had explained to him of his history with Excalibur, how a part of his soul was sealed with the sword. A part of him that followed the orders of whoever is the owner of the blade. Cal took the burden of the Angels' immortal powers so that the blade would never rust, never dull, and gave strength beyond human capabilities. However, whenever Cal took over their shared bodies, Cal would do nothing but destroy anything that went against the path of their master. Levi did have enemies, and he didn’t doubt that even if all of hell was against him, Cal would find a way to end anything in his path. Excalibur made anyone powerful. Cal itself was the power Tybur wanted. That night, as he watched the slow, even breaths of Eren from the bed, Cal was awake and listened intently to his orders. 

“There’s no way to beat Tybur in his game,” Levi explained as he settled near his desk that night, his hand tightly gripping the sword to keep the connection with the blade stronger. “The King of Eldia has no other allies but Hizuru and Tybur will not stop until he gets the sword or Eren as proof that Eldia does have superhumans living here. He will spin the lies that Eldia is building a superhuman army.” Levi explained to Cal, that, at first, he thought wasn’t paying attention, until a smile lifted from the corner of Eren’s lips.

_ “Hmm, sounds like a good little brawl. But what do  _ you _ want me to do? Eren is plenty capable of helping you destroy the monster you have. So why approach me?”  _

Levi regarded the present Eren on the screen, with the calculated eyes, and seemed immensely aware that Levi watched him all the way from Marley. Now he recalled why he had his memory wiped in the situation, why he asked Cal for help, and unconsciously stalled enough time for the Eldians to prepare. “I want you to reset the game,” Levi mumbled as the command he gave Cal rang in his eyes. 

Without any hesitation, Cal ducked under the guns and pounced at the soldier before him. The men tried to restrain him again, but Levi saw the ominous glow of his green eyes and the quick jerk of his arms that ripped the handcuffs off and freed him. “Stop him!” Tybur screamed into the mic, but Levi knew that once Cal began, he wouldn't stop until nothing was in his path, or Levi ordered him to cease. One by one, Cal disarmed and killed the soldiers with their own weapons. Zeke tried to be smart by escaping, only to be gunned down with bullets through his legs. “Let’s kill the lights shall we,” Cal spoke loud enough through the earpiece of the fallen soldiers, and one by one, he destroyed the cameras from the gear of the Marleyans until all the monitors went dark.

Djel and the other scientists and soldiers, stood with jaws hanging open at the swiftness of the attack before Djel finally snapped out of his daze and began typing furiously on the keyboards. “All our systems are down. The other scouts must’ve been in hiding through the city and attacked the other soldiers while our attention was on Erwin. They’ve blinded us.” Djel admitted, and Tybur turned a satisfying shade of red before he shouted orders to find a way to reboot the system and salvage the game before the Eldians completely overtook their comms and killed their men.

Levi knew it’ll be far too late before the Eldians escape the city and plan their own set of actions to fight. The game was a complete reset.


End file.
